Keeping Up Pretense
by Morganstern15
Summary: What happens when Naoki and Kotoko are secretly dating behind everybody's back before her house collapses? How will they hide their secret from Mrs. Irie? Based off the Love in Tokyo adaptation. I own nothing except my adaptation of the plot.
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1**__: Moving Day Part 1_

I smile as I feel the sun's warm rays shining down on my face. Stretching, I glance at the clock. Holy crap! It's 7:15 already? I'm going to be late!

I scramble around my room, searching for my school uniform. Quickly shimmying into my plaid skirt, I threw on a clean white shirt before grabbing my navy jacket and heading down the stairs, tying my pink tie while I stumbled on the steps.

Rushing around the kitchen, I place my lunch box dad made for me last night in my school bag along with my homework before quickly making a piece of toast and two mugs of coffee. Just as I sat down with my toast, the doorbell rang.

Since dad had to leave early this morning to finish building out house, I don't have to explain who is coming over so early in the morning. I smile up at the boy wearing the same uniform as me; a blank expression sits on his face. However, if you care to look closely enough, the twinkle in his eyes and the slight raise in his cheek bones; he is happy to be here. I pull him into the apartment, handing him one of the coffee mugs. As I spin in my heel to return to the kitchen, his arm snakes around my waist drawing me tight against his body. Kissing first the top of my head, I feel his breath tickling my ear as he whispers.

"Good morning, Kotoko." I turn around to face him. He smiles briefly as I beam back up at him. I wind my arms around his waist and lean against him. His arms tighten around my waist.

"Good morning, Irie-kun!"

* * *

><p>So Irie-kun, what are you doing after school?" We had left my house a few minutes ago, walking in the direction of our school.<p>

"Why?" He asks, looking down at me.

I shrug my shoulders, leaning my head against his arm. "Well, Kin-chan, Satomi and Jinko are coming over to help move our stuff into the house. I was hoping we could get together afterwards so you could help me study."

Irie-kun shakes his head. "I can't, father has a business dinner that the family needs to attend to. It probably won't be finished till late tonight."

I groan upset, clinging to his arm. "Why? Now I won't see you again till tomorrow.

"Stop being so dramatic, we go to the same school. You see me every day." Irie-kun states as he rolls his eyes at me.

I glare up at him, "I know, but I never talk to you at school. We agreed that we would keep the fact that we're dating a secret so we wouldn't have to deal with the gossip at school since I'm in still in class F and you're in class A." I mumble, pouting slightly.

He scoffs, "It's your own choice. You've improved so much since I've started tutoring you, and you're marks are at least a class B level. You just don't want to leave your friends and the administration was alright with not posting your marks during midterm and final exams. You've been in the top 100 since last year."

As we approach the corner where we would come across the rest of the student body, Irie-kun pulls me aside into an alley, stopping our movement forward. "What's wrong?" I ask. A faint smirk is my only warning before he leans down to plant a soft kiss on my lips. I eagerly respond back; wrapping my arms around his neck, playing with the hair resting at the nape of his neck. When he pulls away, my breath catches with that twinkle of love in his eyes I adore so much. He smirks down at me, probably at the breathless expression I know is painted all over my face.

"Serves you right." He says, backing away. I smile, thinking back to the same words that began our relationship. His face falls expressionless, the same serious face I fell in love with during the entrance ceremony at the beginning of high school. "See you later, Kotoko." He utters, before turning around and walking towards the school.

I wait a few minutes. Waiting for the blush in my cheeks to die down and the dazed expression I know exist on my face. When I can finally process a coherent thought, I make my way onto the school grounds, immediately two bodies link their arms with mine. "Morning, Kotoko," they say.

"Morning, Jinko, Satomi. You guys are coming over after school to help me move into my new house right?"

We're all going to be there Kotoko", a voice booms right behind me. I shriek in surprise, spinning on my heel to smack the boy behind me.

"Geez, Kin-chan, are you trying to give me a heart attack?" I smack him again on the chest before striding away.

His hand wraps around my shoulders, pulling me tight against his body. "Sorry, Kotoko, you just look so cute when you're mad." I wiggle out of his embrace knowing that Irie-kun would be watching.

Sure enough, on my right, Irie-kun is talking to Watanabe-san, one of his classmates, a dark glimmer in his eyes. I smile sheepishly in his direction. "Kotoko, you still have that crush on Irie Naoki? You should get over him." Satomi states noting my smile directed as Irie-kun.

"Yeah," Jinko pipes up, "We're class F, and he's the genius in class A. He's way out of our league."

I roll my eyes, "I know you guys, I know who he is. He's the genius in class A, he's the smartest person in this school with an IQ of 200, his father is the president of Pandai and," _and he's my boyfriend_ I finish my rant in my head. I roll my eyes again before beckoning my friends towards our class, "come on, I have to study before that quiz we have today."

"Study?" they cry behind me in disbelief. I laugh the rest of the way. It was going to be a good day.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Moving Day Part 2

"Last box guys! Bring it in." My dad calls out to Kin-chan and the rest of the guys from inside the house. Satomi Jinko and I set down the boxes we held onto the floor of the front foyer before moving back outside to make room for the boys.

There was a faint whistling sound in my ears that had been going on for some time now, I originally thought I was hearing thing, but the noise seemed, strangely, a bit louder. An arm grabs me around the shoulders jolting me out of my thoughts. I lose my balance, stumbling, almost taking him down with m. "Hey, Kin-chan, what was that for?" I scowl at the boy beside me.

"Come on, Kotoko, it's time to celebrate! Your new house is finally finished." Kin-chan cheers. I shrug his arm off my shoulders. Any hands but Irie-kun's feel weird nowadays.

That annoying whistling sound is louder and growing higher in pitch. I shake my head trying to rid my head of the noise. Just then, dad comes out from the house.

Kotoko, is something wrong?" He asks concerned.

I shake my head again, "do you guys hear that whistling sound?" I question.

Dad silence envelops the group as everyone strains their ears, listening for something. Shakes of heads surround me. "You're sure you're not hearing anything?" Satomi asks.

The sound seems to be above me now. I look up. A sparkle flies by my head and crashes through the ceiling of the house. For a moment, we all stare at the house, a hole, nearly 20cm in diameter, glares mockingly back at us. Then, the house shudders. The walls moan, groan and creak, before collapsing on themselves; a cloud of dust bursts into the air obstructing our view.

When the dust clears, my jaw drops open. What remains of our house outlines the basic structure of the house with little content. My father drops to his knees in disbelief as the neighbours around us come out of their houses to witness the damage. Soon, a fire truck and a police car race around the corner, screeching to a stop in front of the house.

The next few hours are a blur as reporters and the police swarm my father for the story and my friends and I help the firemen dig out of belongings from the rubble. As night falls, dad and I end up back at his restaurant. All my friends had left after helping us move the boxes into the restaurant, calling out positive encouragements to my dad. Poor dad, he looks devastated, drinking the sake he kept for customers. "Aren't you glad dad?" I pipe up after several minutes of silence.

He glances over at me before returning his attention to his drink. "Glad for what? The house is destroyed and I spent most of the savings building the house, I don't have time to take off from work to build another one even if we did have the resources." He grumbles.

I sat down next to him, leaning my head against his shoulder. "Think about it. At least nobody was inside the house when it collapsed. With all the people helping us move, I would have thought somebody would have been admiring the inside after we had finished unpacking the boxes. Instead, we all come out of the accident alive and uninjured. Besides, the chance of getting hit by a shooting star in the middle of the day is one in ten billion." Dad turns to look at me; a small smile appears on his face.

"You are so much like your mother, optimistic about everything."

I blush. I can't remember my mother since she passed away when I was three, but hearing how much like her always warms my heart.

Suddenly, two phones go off. The restaurant's harsh ringing and my cell phone's melodic ringtone, the one I have for Irie-kun. I smile at my dad, before he gets up to answer the phone. I step outside to answer my call.

"Hi Irie-kun," I start.

"Kotoko," he interrupts, "where are you? Are you and your dad alright?" I can't help but smile. My almost expressionless boyfriend's voice has the most emotion I've ever heard from him.

"I'm fine Irie-kun. We're at dad's restaurant with all our stuff, until we can find a temporary place to stay." I explain staring up and down the street.

"That's good. Well, try not to freak out in an hour or so for me will you?" he asks.

I pull the phone away to stare at it. "Don't freak out about what?" I ask confused.

Irie-kun chuckles, "you'll see. See you later, Kotoko." He says before hanging up on me.

I pull my phone from my ears, glaring at the screen which reads _call ends_. Curse Irie-kun for keeping secrets from me.

* * *

><p>Turns out the phone call in the restaurant was dad's high school friend who invited us to stay with them until we found another house. As we pull into the driveway of their house, I gasp at the size. It was twice the size our collapsed house was. I was going to stay here temporarily?<p>

"Nice house isn't it?" Dad comments, "Iri-chan is the president of his own company. He's very successful. He and his wife have two kids, both boys. I think one's about your age."

Two boys? Oh dear, Irie-kun wasn't going to like the living arrangements.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey guys, thank you for the comments on the first chapter. I'm really excited about how the story's turning out and I have lots of ideas. Let me know if you have any suggestions or advice to help my writing style. All comments are welcome. <strong>


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Meeting the Irie Family

The front door to the massive house opens. Out come a man and a woman who must be Dad's friend and his wife. My dad and his friend joyfully shake hands, before he introduces me to them. I smile brightly, holding out my hand to shake both of theirs. "Hi, my name's Aihara Kotoko. It's nice to meet you. Thank you for giving us a place to stay."

The woman smiles at me, she then proceeds to scoop me up into a tight embrace. "Oh, Kotoko, you've grown so much since I last saw you. You were only a toddler when your mother brought you over to play with my son. Pardon me, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Irie Noriko."

Irie? Her last name's Irie? What we're the chances that my dad was best friends with Irie-kun's dad? I muse as Mrs. Irie ushers us into the house. There probably weren't many Irie families in the area, plus, it explained Irie-kun's cryptic message on the phone.

Inside, sitting on the stairs is a young little boy watching me with a careful look. He scrambles up the staircase as Mrs. Irie spots him, motioning for him to come down and say hi. I shrug my shoulders. Irie-kun mentioned he had a younger brother. I've never met him or seen a picture but the young boy must be Irie Yuki-kun.

In the sitting room, Mrs. Irie had laid out snacks to munch on. I quietly take a few items and place them on my plate. I was just taking my first bite when Mrs. Irie turns her attention to me.

"Kotoko-chan, you've met Yuki, my youngest son. Unfortunately my oldest isn't home at the moment. I sent him to the grocery store to pick up a few things before dinner." She smiles gently towards me.

I nod my head "Yuki-kun seems to be a nice boy. I hope I can get along with him." I answer, biting into cookie. Mrs. Irie shook her head, smiling knowingly.

"If I may be blunt Kotoko-chan, my hope is that you will get along with my oldest, he's in desperate need of a girlfriend." She winks at me.

I cough, choking on the crumbs of the cookie I just ate. I take a drink from my glass of water on the table, blushing profusely.

"Pardon me, Mrs. Irie, what did you say?" I choke out, still coughing madly.

Just then, the the sound of the lock on the front door turning and the door opening reaches our ears. Mrs. Irie looks positively delighted. "How perfect, he finally home. Naoki, come in here please."

I manage to stop coughing in time to look towards the doorway as Irie-kun comes into the room. His eyes search, and automatically find mine. The small twitch on his lips is my only smile. I roll my eyes at him, away from the prying eyes of his mother. He could have just told me on the phone that I was moving into his house.

"Hi, my name's Aihara Kotoko, What's yours?" I ask, standing up, offering my hand. This is not how I wanted to introduce Irie-kun to my dad, so for now, we'll keep up the pretense.

He sighs, typical for Irie-kun, "Irie Naoki. We go to the same school you know." He introduces himself without taking my hand. Even if he is my boyfriend, his casual manners could still use a little softening up. He, of course, contradicts my entire thought process when he then introduces himself to my dad, initiating a hand shake. He could be such a pain in the a-.

"Kotoko-chan? You and Naoki go to the same school?" Mrs. Irie asks, breaking my thoughts, her eyes growing wide with hope. Irie-kun takes a seat next to her, pouring a cup of tea from the kettle on the table.

"Um, yeah, we're not in the same class though." I mutter. For once, I'm self-conscious about my choice to stay in class F.

Just then, Yuki-kun walks into the room, plopping himself down next to Irie-kun holding a first year, middle school math textbook.

Hey Oni-chan, can you help me with this question?" Irie-kun looks up at me and smirks.

"Why don't you ask Aihara-san? I'm sure she would love to help you." He answers, taking a sip from his cup.

Yuki-kun turns to me, his voice pleads for my aid, yet his eyes look strangely sinister. I've seen that look on Irie-kun before, usually right before his smirk comes.

"Sure, let me see the question." Yuki-kun, skips around the end of the table to show me a page of his book, luckily for me, the question's fairly basic: 2x^2 – 8.

"It's not that hard of a question Yuki-kun, you factor out a two from both variables so the equation reads 2(x^2 - 4) which becomes a difference of squares. That becomes 2(x – 2) (x + 2)."

I look up from his book where I was jotting down my explanation. Yuki-kun stares back. His eyes are slightly larger in surprise. I glance over at Irie-kun who seems to be trying to hide a smile behind his cup. I internally sigh. "Anything else you need help with Yuki-kun?" I ask, trying to break his trance.

He snaps out of his stare. "Uh, no, I'm good. Thanks, Aihara-san." He mumbles.

I smile at him. He's so cute. "Call me Kotoko, Yuki-kun."

He just nods before scurrying out of the room.

Mrs. Irie claps her hands together, "Thank you Kotoko. That was very kind of you to help Yuki with his homework. Now, would you like me to show you to your room?" She asks.

I was about to nod my head when Irie-kun spoke up, "Mom, you should stay here with dad and Mr. Aihara. I'm going up to my room anyways so I'll show Aihara-san where she'll be staying." He says, setting his cup down on the table.

Mrs. Irie got this strange look in her eyes before nodding her head and ushering us out of the room.

Irie-kun, stopping to pick up my suitcase, leads me up the stairs and down the hall where he stops in front of a door with _Kotoko_ written on a sign hanging on it. To the left of the door was another closed door with _Naoki_ and _Yuki _hanging from it. He opens the door, walks in, and sets down my suitcase on the floor.

I just stare at the room, closing the door behind me. Dolls sat on the shelves around the room, the walls were painted a soft pink, a calm yet happy color, and a pink furry carpet sat in the middle of the room. On the left side, a desk, set up with everything I might need, lay empty for my school books. On the right side was the bed. I thought the bed was beautiful. The white blanket with light pink roses around the edge, covering an elegant bed frame straight from any princess novel. To seal the deal, a pink, gauze like curtain fell around the bed. I smile sadly as I take in the room, tears prickling the back of my eyes.

Irie-kun takes one look at me before drawing me over to the bed, sitting on it, and pulling me down onto his lap. He wraps his arms around me and I lay down on his chest. For a moment, we sit together, enjoying each other's presence. "What's wrong Kotoko? His chest rumbles under my ear. I snuggle closer, burying my face into his shirt. Taking a few deep breathes; I look up into his brown eyes.

"I'm just overreacting. Since mom died when I was so little, I never really had anyone to treat me like a girl. Dad didn't care much for this stuff so it's a little overwhelming how much of a girly childhood I missed out on."

Irie-kun kisses the top of my head, "I can guarantee you that mom will be treating you like her own daughter. She designed the room herself in a matter of minutes before you guys arrived. She's always saying she wished she had a daughter." He says into my hair

I sigh, "we're going to have to keep pretending that we aren't dating in the house aren't we?"

I feel his head nod up and down. "Yes, unfortunately for us, we're going to have to. It's not that mom and dad won't approve, they most certainly will, but the fact of the matter is, my mother's a bit crazy when it comes to my love life, if I suddenly tell them out of nowhere that I have girlfriend, we would find ourselves in front of a priest and saying our vows by the weekend." He explains. I blush; Mrs. Irie would want us to get married? Well, it certainly explained her blunt statement earlier.

I nodded my head in understanding. "Besides, I'm pretty sure dad might blow a gasket if he finds out I'm dating you and moved in without mentioning that we're dating." I sat up straight as a thought pops into my head. "What about Yuki-kun, does he know?" Irie-kun shook his head.

He never cared to ask, so I never brought it up." He chuckles suddenly, "he tried to embarrass you downstairs with the math question. He was lurking out in the hall with his sheet waiting for mom to pop a question about school when I walked in."

I roll my eyes at him, "I knew something was up, he has that same glint in his eyes that you have when you tease me."

That very glint shines suddenly from his eyes. "Oh really?" He drawls, "And when do I ever tease you?" He asks.

I glare back at him. "You know when. You always tease me. Every single morn-"

The rest of my sentence is cut off as he plants a kiss on my lips.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Hey guys, thanks for the reviews. As you've probably already started to tell, I'm posting these chapters very quickly. I'm in my final year at high school and have hit a pocket of breathing room when it comes to homework which is why the chapters are coming fast and furious. It probably won't last, and when I get busy again, (three science and two math courses will do that) I'm going to try and keep the updates to once a week. Also, If you've haven't noticed, I'm making Kotoko a little more capable in life, She's still keep her optimistic, cheerful personality, but she's be able to cook, clean, and do well in school. I just find her more appealing this way. Anyways, keep the reviews coming and I'll write to you guys next time.<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Mrs. Irie begins her plot

I yawn as I stretch my arms above my head, sitting up in the bed. Slowly, I blink my eyes open and stare at my alarm clock. 6:30 am. Perfect, I muse as I hop out of bed, I can make breakfast and lunch. I quickly change into my school uniform, and pull my hair back with a white headband before sneaking down the hall and down the stairs.

Downstairs, everything is quiet, everybody must still be asleep. I pad quietly into the kitchen where I quickly brew a pot of coffee for anybody who comes down. I then proceed to whip up lunch for Irie-kun, Yuki-kun and myself before making my famous omelettes for breakfast. Half an hour later, the savory scent of caramelizing onions and mushrooms soon fill the kitchen. Soon, four faces appear in the doorway.

"Good morning," I call out to them, pouring three cups of coffee and a glass of milk. "I just finished making breakfast."

Dad, Mr. Irie and Mrs. Irie sit down at the dining table in the next room and I place the three cups of coffee in front of them. Yuki wanders in a little more wary and hesitantly sits down. I walk back into the kitchen where the microwave timer for Yuki's glass of milk goes off. I quickly melt down a bit of chocolate and mix it into the hot milk before bringing it out and setting it in front of him. "Hope you like hot chocolate Yuki-kun." I smile before going back into the kitchen to fetch the omelettes. I make two more cups of coffee for Irie-kun and myself before bringing everything out on a tray. I set a plate of eggs in front of everybody and a cup of coffee and a plate at the two empty spots. I sit down and look around to table. Dad thanks me for the food and begins to eat while the entire Irie family, minus Irie-kun, just stare at the food in front of them.

Just then, Irie-kun walks into the room, wearing his uniform. He pauses to grab the newspaper in the living room before he sits down at the table saying, "Good morning." The rest of the table responds in kind. "Thanks for the food Aihara-san." He says before taking a bite of his omelette and opening up the paper.

Yuki-kun just stares at him, his mouth drops open. Irie-kun notices and looks over. "Eat your food, Yuki. She didn't poison it." He says before taking another bite. "In fact, it's really good."

I blush at his praise. "Thanks Irie-kun. I wanted say thank you for letting us stay here. Please enjoy." I utter.

Mr. and Mrs. Irie nod before taking a bite and exclamations of surprise follow immediately.

"Kotoko-chan, how did you learn to cook like this?" Mrs. Irie asks, taking another bite.

"When I was twelve or so, dad's restaurant became really popular. Every night there was a full house, with a line waiting and dad, at the time, didn't have enough employers so he was working from dawn to midnight without really stopping. To help out around the house, so dad could get all the sleep he needed, I started cooking my own breakfasts, lunches, and dinners." I reply.

I turn back to my plate to eat my own breakfast when I notice that Yuki-kun still hasn't eaten anything. "Yuki-kun, do you not like omelettes?" I ask quietly. He shook his head.

Thank you for the hot chocolate, but I'm not hungry for eggs." He mutters taking a sip from his glass.

Irie-kun looks up from his paper to glare at his brother. "What are you talking about Yuki? Just last night you were wondering if mom was going to make omelettes for breakfast. What difference does it make that Aihara-san made them?"

Yuki turns bright red. "I know…I'm…just…feeling a bit under the weather." He coughs into his sleeve, "I wouldn't mind trying a bite though." He picks up his fork and scoops up a bite of eggs. His eyes widen momentarily.

My mouth quirks a smile, as Irie-kun smirks at Yuki. "Do you like them Yuki-kun?" I ask. All he's able to do is nod as he continues to shovel the eggs into his mouth.

Mrs. Irie, having finished her eggs, stands up to clear her plate. "Thank you Kotoko –chan for breakfast, I'll be in the kitchen making lunch."

I quickly swallow a bite. "Um…I already made three lunches for the three of us." I look away from the look of shock on her face. "Sorry, I was already in the kitchen this morning and…Mrs. Irie, are you alright?"

Her face had changed from one of shock to complete elation. A strangely familiar smirk appears on her face. Her hands clasping together rubbing almost sinisterly.

She looks up after my question, her face forming her usual jovial manner. "Oh, just fine Kotoko-chan. Well then, I guess I'll start cleaning up." She glances at the clock hanging on the wall. "Don't you and Naoki have to go?" We both look at the clock.

"Why? We still have-" I start.

"Aihara-san, we need to leave now. Irie-kun states standing up. "I have a meeting at school I need to get to and I have to show you the route to school."

I nod my head, standing up. We grab our shoes and our school bags and Mrs. Irie hands us each our lunch boxes. I shove the blue, cloth bound, box into my bag before leaving down the driveway behind Irie-kun.

Around the corner, out of sight of the house, I grab the hem of his jacket, halting him in his step. "Why are we leaving so early? It's only 7:20; school doesn't start for at least another hour."

He looks at me. "I made up an excuse at the beginning of the semester that I had to leave for school early so I could meet up with my girlfriend before school."

I blush and look up sheepishly at him. "Oh, I see." He smirks down at me.

"At least now I can give her a proper good morning," he remarks before planting a soft kiss on my lips. "Good morning, Kotoko." He whispers into my ear, drawing me into a hug.

I smile, "Good morning, Irie-kun."

He pulls back, giving me a smile. "Come on," he tugs on my hand, leading me down the street. "Let's take a detour to school."

* * *

><p>I drop into the seat of my desk and pull out my science textbook. Flipping to the pages that I had tabbed to study later, I began reciting information from memory. "Transpiration uses TACT to evaporate water. Water is pulled into the roots by lowering the water potential in the roots by adding a solute. Water is then pulled up the xylem with the help of cohesion, the hydrogen bonds between water due to water's polarity…"<p>

Vaguely, I note a hand waving in front of my face but quickly disregard it. Faint chatter grows a little as the class begins to fill. I disregard all of the distractions, continuing my recitation.

"Aihara-san." Irie-kun's voice broke through my sub-consciousness. I spin in my desk to face him. Wearing his usual impassive face and his hands in both his pockets, he was leaning against the doorframe to our class. The entire class goes silent at the sound of his voice.

He glances around the silent room and rolls his eyes. "Aihara-san, pourrez-vous venir dehors avec ton sac?" Irie-kun requests in French. Probably because nobody in the class could understand what he had just said. I nod my head, grab my bag and follow Irie-kun out the door. Behind me, I could hear Satomi, Jinko and Kin-chan trying to make sense of Irie-kun's request.

Outside our school building, Irie-kun stops behind a tree and reaches into his bag. "Mom handed us the wrong lunch boxes this morning." He states, pulling out a pink lunch box.

I open my bag and pull out the blue one. "Oh yeah, I didn't even notice."

He sighs and quickly switches the two lunch boxes. "First day and we're already about to start a rumour."

"How is that possible? First block hasn't even started yet; the bell is just about to ring." I look over his shoulder at a sudden movement behind the bushes across the walkway. "Oh." I answer myself. "Just great, that's just great. What am I going to tell them now?" I moan.

Irie-kun looks over his shoulder. "You'll figure something out. No offense, but they're not the brightest bunch. I have to go; I'm on the other side of the school. I'll meet you at the alcove across the street after school." He winks at me as he walks away. Immediately, Satomi, Jinko, Kin-chan and his two best friends hop out from behind the bushes.

"Kotoko," Kin-chan wails, "Did he do something to you?"

"No, I'm fine." I answer.

Satomi and Jinko each grab a hand. "What were you guys talking about?"

I didn't have an excuse ready and I began to panic. "Oh, um, Irie-kun found the confession letter I wrote to him and called me out here to tell me that he couldn't accept my feelings because he already had a girlfriend." I blurt out, saying the first thing that came to mind.

"What!?" Kin-chan screams, "You confessed your love to that….that….cold-blooded man!?"

"What!?" Jinko and Satomi screech, "Irie Naoki has a girlfriend?"

I nod my head sheepishly. "Well," I quickly say, trying to change the subject, "class's about to start, let's go before we're late." I take off towards our class without waiting for them.

I hope this doesn't backfire on me in the future.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey guys, I'm back. I'm loving the french and the spanish reviews. (I had to look up what <strong>**LANTUNEZ said though, I'm glad I could read your review****) Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed the little bit of french I snuck in there. There might be more in the future, though I'm not sure yet. Keep up the reviews guys and I hope I can get the next post out soon. Write me your thoughts and I'll write to you all again in the next chapter. Ciao.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Studying for Finals

The next month didn't go by as smoothly as I had anticipated. There was gossip about my fake love letter that was supposedly rejected by Irie-kun, thanks to Kin-chan. I've never seen that much anger towards a person. Of course Irie-kun never gets riled up so that only added fuel to the fire. Anyhow, I was now the laughing stock at school. Irie-kun, who never spoke to me at school or showed emotion in general, flashed me eyes of courage and sympathy every time we passed. The jeers from the girls in his class had me simmering in class and venting on the way home.

Finals were coming up. The other classes were buckling down, memorizing and studying, while class F...

"Kotoko, why are you always studying?" Kin-chan whines. He's sitting across from me, his hands in front of him, pleading me to stop.

I glare at him from the corner of my eye, my pencil never leaving the page as I furiously scribble notes. "I am going to prove to the school that I'm not a flake by finishing top ten on the final exam. Hopefully I'll move up a class next year." I growl. Sitting behind me and Kin-chan, I note that Satomi and Jinko are exchange looks. I look back and forth between them, "what's wrong with that?" I ask.

Satomi looks at me. "We get that you have a crush on Irie Naoki, but you're trying to get into class A? Do you realize how many classes there are between him and us? He's a completely different league. You couldn't even make it into his class even if you manage to surpass him on the test." Ouch, that was a low blow in faith.

"You don't think I can beat him? Watch me."

* * *

><p>Every day since then, I've been studying in school, in the library, and I've also had my door close as to not be bothered by anyone while I study, except for Mrs. Irie who knocks on my door to bring me a snack. Eventually, I ran into some problems.<p>

"Irie-kun," I ask as we walk home from school, "Can you help me study for finals?"

He looks at me and rolls his eyes, "I was wondering when you were going to ask me. The gossip and rumours are finally getting to you. Are you going to let the administration post your marks this time?" He asks. I nod my head in answer. He nods his head in return, "Alright, we'll start tonight. You remember my tutoring style don't you? It won't be easy." He warns.

I wave my hand at him, "yeah, yeah, you put me through it once, and while I'm eternally grateful, I don't think it can get much worst then it was two years ago." I retort. He just smirks and we continue our way home in silence.

That evening, during dinner, Mrs. Irie asks what kind of snack I want. When I mention a cup of coffee and some sandwiches, Irie-kun speaks up. "Mom, can you make enough snacks for two people? Please bring them both to Aihara-san's room." He continues to eat as his entire family stares at him.

Yuki-kun is the first to speak up. "You're helping her study? You never help me study." He glares at me.

Irie-kun looks down at him. "You're doing fine in school. You're top of your class aren't you?" Yuki-kun nods, "well there you go." He says standing up. "Thanks for dinner mom, Aihara-san, let's go." I nod, stuffing the last bite into my mouth. I mumble my thanks for the meal and take off after Irie-kun, the entire Irie family boring holes into my back with their stares.

In my room, Irie-kun sits down at the chair by my desk as I close the door behind us. "So what subject do you want to cover first?" He asks,

"I had some problems with the math concept for the last few chapters, I can do the questions if I have the formula, but it's figuring out the formula based on the word problem that I have issues with." I reply grabbing my math book from the top of my pile and flipping it open to one of the pages I had tabbed the night before. "Here, I marked them all last night."

He flips through the book, looking up at me with mild disbelief. "Why are you in that class again? The teacher obviously hasn't taught you anything."

I open my mouth when a sound outside the door reaches my ears. Silently, I point to the door, mimicking walking. He nods and mouths the word mom at me. Great, she's eavesdropping.

"Mon professeur est assez bien, merci beaucoup, mais je voulais rester avec mes amis et c'est la class en entier qui fait que c'est difficile d'étudier." I answer in French to throw Mrs. Irie off our discussion.

"Pas mal, votre Français a beaucoup amélioré. Ça va, je sais tes raisons, mais retournant à les mathématiques. Here are the equations for the deriving an equation. You always label the derivative as prime of the function…" He begins to explain.

Over the next two weeks, Irie-kun spent hours helping to explain concepts I didn't understand, correcting my work and creating problems and questions for me to solve. The morning of the first day of tests, I wake up at my desk. I must have fallen asleep doing the practice test Irie-kun wrote for me. Sitting up, I smile at the sight in front of me. Irie-kun must have fallen asleep too; his arm is under his head, lying partially on the desk. I grab the blanket from my bed, covering him, before making my way downstairs. The house is slightly cold this morning and I shiver as I cross the tiled kitchen floor. It's still early in the morning, but nothing like a good cup of coffee to get the day started. I add hot water to the coffee grounds and let it filter as I searched for some breakfast. I pull out some potatoes, cheese, onions and bacon crumble as well as tortilla wraps. Setting them on the counter, next to the fridge, I turn and jump in fright. There, sitting at the counter of the kitchen, Irie-kun is casually leaning his head on one hand.

"Don't stop on my account, I just woke up and smelled coffee." He says.

"Right, I'll get you a cup." I say turning to grab a cup from the cupboards. Pouring the coffee, I add a little milk and present it in front of him. As he takes the cup, sipping at the hot liquid, I return to my ingredients. I fry up diced onions, potatoes and the bacon before covering it all in cheese, allowing it to melt, combining everything together. Warming up two tortillas, I scoop some of the mixture into the tortilla before wrapping the tortilla around it. I plate both dishes and place one in front of Irie-kun. "I feel like we need something with substance and carbohydrates before the first day of tests." He nods his head in agreement, and takes a bite.

We eat in silence since we're both still tired from last night. "Thanks, again, for helping me study." I break the silence. He nods his head, continuing to eat quietly. As we finish breakfast, I begin the hear movement upstairs. "I guess that's my cue to get the others' breakfast ready." I sigh, standing up. I peck a quick kiss onto his cheek and turn to warm a few more tortillas. As the rest of the household files down the stairs, I lay out the plates with the burritos onto the table with the coffee pot and cups. After passing out breakfast, I quickly clean the pans, and run back upstairs to change into my uniform. I pull my hair back into a ponytail, tying it off with a pink ribbon.

"Bye," I call out into the house, as I put on my shoes near the front door. I yank the door open, just as Mrs. Irie hands me an envelope. "Here, I have a present for you. Don't open it." She states sharply and I place my finger under the sticker holding it close. "You can open it only if you place in the top fifty." Thanks, Mrs. Irie, I hope she realizes soon that I'm aiming for top ten. "Thank you, I'll see you later." I call back, walking off down the driveway. Behind me, I can hear her scolding Irie-kun to hurry up and catch up to me. Turning around the corner, out of sight from the house, I stop. Leaning against the wall, I wait patiently for Irie-kun. Together we set off for our exam.

* * *

><p><strong>So I was writing this and stopped for dinner. When I came back I realized that it was over 1.5 hundred words and that I should probably wrap up the chapter soon. Anyhow, this chapter came faster than I thought it would, little bit of a filler, not much Irie-kun and Kotoko action but hopefully, if I write the next chapter right, we should start seeing a little bit of jealousy emitting from our beloved Naoki. So my dear readers, keep up the reviews, loving how many I'm getting for my first story, and I'll write to you guys in the next chapter. Ciao<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Jealousy Strikes

A week later, the bell rings, signalling the end of exam week. Satomi, Jinko and I run out of the class, cheering gleefully as we burst into the sunshine.

"Finally exams are over!" Satomi screams

"Let's celebrate!" Jinko states, as she pumps her fist in the air. I laugh at both their antics. Feeling my phone vibrate in my pocket, I pull it out. It was a text message from Irie-kun asking if I want to hang out now that exams are over. I look up; Irie-kun was leaning against a tree near the school entrance. Watanabae-san was with him. He looks up at me, cocking his head to the side in question. I open up a new message to answer yes when a familiar arm swings around my neck pulling me forward towards the school gate.

I scream due to the suddenness of the movement, but Kin-chan's laughter has me trying to pull away. "No Kotoko," he says in a singsong voice, kissing the top of my head and wrapping me up into a tight one arm hug, dragging me forward with him. "I'm not letting you go. I didn't get to see you at all while you were preparing for finals, but now that we're free, we're celebrating."

"Thanks, but I already-" Kin-chan interrupts me.

"Don't say no, Kotoko, you're coming to celebrate with us even if I have to drag you with us." At this point, I gave up. Kin-chan's hold was really tight and as we pass by the tree where Irie-kun stood, I mouth an apology in his direction. He turns his head to talk to Watanabae-san and as we round the corner; my last sight of Irie-kun is him joining up with the rest of his class.

* * *

><p>Hours later, I manage to escape my friends and head home. I sigh, swinging my school bag I didn't get to spend time with Irie-kun after school today. We can't spend any more time together at night since we don't have any more tests and once we know our final results, it'll be our summer break. Sighing again, I walk up the driveway and open the front door to the house. "I'm back." I call out into the house. Silence returns my call. "Hello? Is there anybody here?" I call out as I walk through the entire bottom floor. I walk upstairs to my room, and open the door. There, lying on the floor is a note with my name on it:<p>

_Come to my room Kotoko-chan. The rest of the house is out for dinner._  
><em>-Naoki-san<em>

An evening alone with Irie-kun, I feel my cheeks heat a little. I quickly change out of my uniform into a more comfortable outfit and pad my way to the next room. I knock on his door, twice. There's no answer. "I'm coming in." I call as I open the door gently.

Inside the room is dark, save for a small lamp in the corner of the room. I can make out a lump on a bed and Irie-kun head poking out one side. I close the door behind me and sit down on the edge of his bed. "Irie-kun? Hello? What's with the note you left meeee!" I squeal the last part as Irie-kun suddenly moves to grab my forearm, sitting up straight.

"What are you doing sneaking around my room?" He asks. I hand him the note I found. Reading the writing in the dim light, he scrunches up the paper and tosses it into his trash. "Shouldn't you be able to read my handwriting by now? Have I ever written you a note where I've signed it with an 'Naoki-san'?" His eyes flash furiously.

I look down at my lap. "Sorry, I suppose I should have been able to. It doesn't even sound like you wrote it, but I don't see your handwriting often. I mean, we're not in the same class…" I whisper, my throat thick.

He pulls on my arm and suddenly I find myself partially under his body, trap by his weight pressing me into his bed and the grip of his hands on my arm. "That's right; you wanted to stay in that class so you wouldn't have to leave your friends. Is that really the excuse, Kotoko? Or is it that you didn't want to leave Ikezawa? Are you fooling around with him behind my back?" He snaps.

Frighten by his movement and his anger, I freeze at his words and hot rushes of anger burns through me at his assumption of my behavior. I squirm in his hold and kicking out with my legs, I manage to send him tumbling to the floor. Scrambling from the bed, I cower near the door, my hand searching blindly for the handle. "Are you for real?" I choke out, tears beginning to prick my eyes. "Why would I cheat on you? Kin-chan is a friend that I've known forever and if I move into your class, which I'm pretty sure my scores would let me, I would be ridiculed by your classmates for eternity. THAT'S why I haven't left class F. Why should I put myself in a miserable situation just to please you? I was planning on doing so because Kin-chan was getting a little too personal, but if this is how you're going to act, maybe I don't want to be in the same class with a jerk like you!" my voice nearly screams by the end of my rant, tears begin to roll down my cheeks as a tear the door open. I slam it behind me and take the two steps to my room. Slamming that door too, I lock it behind me. My vision blurred by my tears as they pour down my face, I collapse onto my bed face first, sobbing into a pillow. There is a quiet knock on my door, and Irie-kun's voice regretfully asking me to open the door. I ignore his voice and continue to bawl into the pillow. As time passes, I shrivel up into a fetal position, hugging a pillow tightly. My sobs quiet down to a whimper with hiccups, my eyes stinging and swollen. Exhausted, I fall into a restless slumber.

I wake up the next morning running late. I quickly change into my uniform and brush my hair. Staring into the mirror, I note that my eyes no longer feel swollen, but the visible stains down my cheek and the darkness beneath my dim eyes are remnants of my tears. I run to the bathroom to wipe away the tearstains but there isn't much I can do about the bags beneath my eyes. I reluctantly make my way down the stairs. I take a deep breath before putting on a smile and walking into the dining room. "Good morning." I smile at the table, looking at everyone but Irie-kun. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Irie-kun look as haggard as I do.

"Good morning Kotoko-chan!" Mrs. Irie answers, smiling widely. She gestures to the seat beside hers. I shake my head.

"No breakfast for me please, I'm not hungry. I'll just take this to go." I grab a piece of toast and turn on my heel to leave for school.

I hear the rustling of a chair as Irie-kun stands up. "I'll be leaving for school as well. Thanks for breakfast mom." I hear him say. I quickly hurry my steps and put on my shoes, slipping out the door as Irie-kun turns into the foyer. Tearing off down the driveway, I sprint the entire way to school. Entering school grounds, I glance over my shoulder. Irie-kun is across the road, breathing hard. He stares after me with an almost desperate look in his eyes. I meet up with Satomi and Jinko for protection as he approaches the school gates. Schooling my facial features to my usual jovial mood, I turn and walk away from him. I don't look back.

* * *

><p><strong>...Hey, I'm back...within 4 hours...I blame my last chapter. I got so into wanting to make Naoki jealous, I blew off my Calculus homework to write this chapter. A little part of me cried when I wrote this but I hope it causes some twinge to your heartstrings. Let me know how our beloved Naoki makes you feel now. Keep up the reviews and I'll write to you guys in the next chapter<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Results: What happens now?

As the bell rang to end the day, class A, B and C rush down to see their marks for their final exam. The rest of the students gleefully abandon the school grounds. The excitement for summer breaks is contagious, running high within most of us. I manage to escape from Kin-chan and the rest of my friends. I hadn't been particularly social all day, it was as if all my energy had been sucked away. I slowly drag my feet down to the school bulletin board where the top one hundred students overall have their final exam marks posted and their final grade with their class for next year.

Ignoring the whispers and stares from the other students milling around, I start at the one hundred side and move across the floor, searching for my name. As I get closer to the top ten, the whispers grow more urgent. I look at them. When they notice my stare, they fell silent, staring at me with disbelief. I raise an eyebrow and continue my search. I pass tenth place.  
>Ninth place.<br>Eighth.  
>Seventh.<br>Sixth, fifth, fourth and third. There, I stop dead.

Marked as the smartest student in the school with a final grade of one hundred percent, Irie-kun's name is number one on the list, scoring a perfect 500 out of 500 on the final exams. Not a big surprise considering his photographic memory, but sitting in second highest score, as the third smartest student in the school, I scored 499.5 out of 500.

I stare in utter shock at my name written there next to Irie-kun, different by a measly half a mark. I was hoping to place top ten, and expecting somewhere in the top thirty, but I didn't expect a nearly perfect score. I finally begin to tune into the gossip and whispers circling around the students behind me.

"How is it possible that a class F student is almost as smart as Irie-san?" A voice retorts bitterly behind me. I spin on my heel and mentally groan. I was not in the mood to put up with Kobayakawa Sara and her posse. She crosses her arms and cocks her head, "I don't think you're smart enough to subtly cheat on the final exams, I guess that means you must have seduced your teacher." She looks down and back up then smirks. "He must have bad taste." She states. The two girls beside her laugh into their hands. I open my mouth to retort back when I spot Irie-kun looking at the names on the board, walking closer to me. I managed to avoid him this long, and I still didn't feel like talking to him. Tightening the grip on my bag, I shoulder my way past them, briskly making my way to the exit. Behind me, I hear Kobayakawa flirting with Irie-kun. For once in my life, I mentally thank her for grabbing his attention.

Escaping outside, I breathe in the summer air. Lighter than I felt this morning, I skip out the school gates, quietly humming and stop. Leaning against the wall, Satomi, Jinko, and Kin-chan were laughing probably waiting for me. Kin-chan spots me right away.

"Kotoko, where did you go?" He asks walking over. I smile and walk right by him to join up with the girls. Spinning on my heel, I smile brightly, "I went to go see the results for the final exams." I state brightly. Kin-chan looks at me, confused.

"Why would you do that? It's not like any of us are on there." They all laugh. Smiling, I shake my head

"Nope, you're looking at the girl who got the second highest score and is ranked third in the school." I state contently.

"What!?" They scream, "Are you serious!?

I nod my head smiling. They look at each other and turn, sprinting back inside the school no doubt looking to see my name on that board. I look after them for a moment before shrugging my shoulders. I turn, making my way to dad's restaurant.

* * *

><p>The restaurant is in the middle of the city, at this time, people are rushing to and from places, and the sidewalks are tightly packed. Opening the door to the restaurant, the little jingle of the bell announces my presence. Hey, dad, how's your day going?" I say walking around the bar to kiss his cheek. He smiles at me as he garnishes the last dish in front of him. E waves a waitress down to bring it to table six.<p>

"Not bad, business is busy as usual but it's all good." He wipes his brown and starts preparing the next dish. "What brings you to this neck of the city hmm?" He asks.

I shrug, "I got my exam marks back and I have the second highest score in the school."

He smiles widely, "Well, this calls for a celebration doesn't it? Tell you what, give Mrs. Irie a call and tell her not to make dinner. I'll reserve a table and we can eat here tonight. I'll make your favorite." He winks at me. I nod my head and grab my phone. "How did Naoki do?" Dad asks casually. My body freezes, my hand above the call button. "He's first, as always." I answer slowly. I press the call button, walking outside to make the call.

"Hello?" Irie-kun's voice has me gripping the phone tight.

"Hi, it's me." I utter quietly. Irie-kun's silent on the line, his breathing quickens slightly, I can hear the breath he took when I spoke.

"Dad wants to celebrate how well we did on the exams so he wants to treat everyone for dinner at the restaurant. Could you tell your mom for me?" I say quickly.

"Yeah. Sure." He answers.

More silence between us, I feel sick with the tension between us. "Okay, well, I guess I'll see you later." I begin to hang up.

"No! Wait, Kotoko." Irie-kun quickly stops me, "We need to talk."

I close my eyes, my throat thick. Those were the words I feared. "I know we do, it's just hard right now. I need time to understand what went wrong last night." I take a deep breath, "I'll talk to later." I say before quickly hanging up before he can speak again. Leaning against the wall, I look up at the sky, begging the tears in the corner of my eyes to go away before dad can see them. The same question runs through my head as it has done all day: What happens now?

* * *

><p><strong>So I'll keep expanding on her results, in the coming chapters. That's going to cause I whole lot of problems at school. Can Naoki and Kotoko handle it? Actually, I was going to name the chapter reconciliation and I was trying to get them back together. Then I thought about it... If a guy I was dating got a little violent over jealousy, I'd probably be questioning like Kotoko what to do from here. I want you to think, what would you do? Not for the story, but actually sit down and think what would you do in her scenario. That may be a little morbid and depressing for a fanfiction but I genuinely curious as to what you guys think. Comment your thoughts in your review and I'll write to you guys next time. Ciao.<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Apologies

"Congratulations Kotoko! Congratulations Naoki!" The adults cheer. I force a smile as I clink my glass with everyone around the table. I take a sip from my wine glass as does everyone else except for Yuki-kun. As the chatter rises around me, I sit still, quietly thinking about the solid warmth to my left. Much to the surprise of everyone, as the Irie family joined dad and I in the restaurant, Irie-kun immediately claimed the seat next to mine. Mrs. Irie bore an expression of utter delight at his actions and was quick to sit across from us, proceeding to stare constantly at us with a dreamy look in her eyes.

Dad leaves the table briefly, and comes back with his two assistants. Together they lay several platters of appetizers to share. We dig in to the food, the parents talking and laughing. Yuki-kun, sitting next to his mom, quietly ate his food, looking up periodically to sneak peeks at his brother and I. I ignore all the looks, quietly munching on the food dad has prepared.

A couple hours later, we all leave the restaurant and dad stays behind to close for the night. I was exhausted, ignoring the obvious stares from Mrs. Irie and Yuki-kun, while trying to ignore Irie-kun beside me all night was more than I could handle, especially since I wasn't sure how to act around Irie-kun as of late. Needing to clear my head, I mention to Mrs. Irie that I was going to walk home for some air and to digest my food. Waving goodbye, I took off towards the park.

Alone, I take a deep breath, sitting down on the first bench I come across. Closing my eyes, I lay my head back, embracing the sounds of the wind rustling through the trees. I open my eyes, looking up into the clear night filled with stars. What should I do? I know I love Irie-kun and will probably love him forever, but the way he looked at me that night…I have been nothing but faithful towards him, never even giving him a reason to doubt me…is this really the relationship I want to be in?

Footsteps shuffling through leaves have me looking up. Standing in front of me, Irie-kun stares back at me; guilt and pain shine behind his eyes. I pat the bench and he sits down beside me. For a moment, we sit in silence. I can feel Irie-kun's eyes on me. I avoid them by looking up at the sky again. Just then, a shooting star flies by. I close my eyes, clasping my hands together to make my wish. Besides me, Irie-kun chuckles at my actions.

"I remember the last time you saw a shooting star." Irie-kun says. I open my eyes to look at him. He's no longer facing me, but looking up at the sky as well. "On our first date, I took you out for dinner and I walked you home afterwards. You took us through the park because you wanted to see the lake at night. While we were staring into the water, the reflection of a shooting star passed through. You did that same action, closing your eyes and clasping your hands, I remember thinking how adorable you were." He looks down at me, he's smiling fondly at the memory. "I took your hand," He continues, quietly clasping our hands together. "I pulled you towards me and asked what you wished for." He looks back up from our joined hands to meet my eyes, there's sadness lying there. "You gave me the biggest smile, and told me it was a secret. You never asked me what I wished for." I blink in surprise.

"I didn't think you believed in wishing on a shooting star. What did you wish for?" I ask curiously.

He smiles briefly, looking back up at the sky, "The same thing I've been wishing since the day I met you: That you'll love me forever, because I can't think of any other person I want to be with." I look up at him flabbergasted. I know he loves me, but not to this extent. He releases my hand, standing up from the bench. He pulls me up with him, tugging me into the warm embrace of his arms as he buries his face into my neck. I hear him take a deep breath, hugging me tighter. "I am so sorry Kotoko, I was jealous and unreasonable. I should have never accused you of fooling around behind my back. You're my light Kotoko, I can't be myself without you in my life. I was terrified that Ikezawa was going to steal you away. His obvious love for you is something I wish I could express myself." He pulls back to look at me. I stare into his pleading eyes, begging me to take him back. I smile, tugging him back towards the bench. Sitting him down, I sit sideways on his lap, wrapping my arms around body, leaning my head against his chest. His arms tighten around me again.

"I love you, Irie-kun. You hurt me when you accused me of being unfaithful when you know I always tell you when Kin-chan has done something and you see me every day trying to avoid his affection. I love you, not Kin-chan. He will always be a friend and I will probably meet more guys who will become my friend." I sit up straight, placing my hands on his cheeks, "You'll probably meet other girls who will throw themselves at you and I will be jealous, Irie-kun. I don't like other people getting close to you anymore than you like guys around me, but I respect your boundaries because I know you're faithful to me and our relationship. I need you to have that same trust and faith in me." I wrap my arms around his neck, bringing is lips closer to mine. He sighs at the contact of our lips, kissing me back harder. Eventually, the need for air separates us. He kisses the top of my head as I snuggle back against him.

"I will always be possessive of you, Kotoko, because I know what my life was like before you walked in and I never want to go back. I'm not saying this will be easy, but I will try not to jump to any conclusions before talking to you first. I love you, Kotoko. Thank you." He whispers reverently, kissing the top of my head again. In silence, we revel being in each other's arms again.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey guys, sorry for the long delay, I started this last weekend then got swamped with a Chemistry Test, Calculus Test, and a Biology Lab. Plus I had my Semi-formal on Thursday, which was fun, but didn't give me a whole lot of time to work on my Fanfic. Anyhow, I'm back, the term is wrapping up and most of my university applications are done so I should be around for a while. Back to the story, hope you like Naoki-kun's apology. To <strong>**_Heroina_****, I originally planned to write this fanfic with a mix of Naoki and Kotoko POV but none of the the Naoki chapters properly portrayed our handsome genius so I focused on Kotoko's POV instead. Well that's all for now, I'll start the next chapter, see if I can get it out today as an apology but otherwise, click the button below and give me your thoughts. Ciao.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Welcome to Class A….Sort of.

Beep! Beep! Beep! I groan as I slam my hand onto my alarm clock effectively shutting the contraption quiet. I stare at the time, slit-eyed, before rolling back over in my bed. Before too long, I hear a knock on my door. "Kotoko, wake up. We have to get to school." Irie-kun's voice resonates deep within me. I moan, sitting up in bed. I stretch my arms above me, yawning.

"I'm getting ready, Irie-kun." I call back. Quickly changing into my school uniform, I grab my hairbrush, running it through my hair. I sit down, contemplating how summer seemed to have passed so quickly.

That summer, Irie-kun and I spent most of our time together. I received text messages from Kin-chan, Satomi and Jinko wanting to hang out and gossip about the exam results and hand out. Each time, I managed to find an excuse one way or another. The best part was when Dad and Mr. Irie we're invited to their high school reunion. It was a camping trip and they were gone for two weeks. Around the same time, Mrs. Irie received a sudden phone call about her mother having been in an accident, she never specified what kind, and took off with Yuki-kun to go stay with her. She called the next day saying her mother was fine but she wanted to stay for a couple of weeks to make sure, which left the house to Irie-kun and I for a peaceful two weeks together alone. I'm pretty sure Mrs. Irie lied about her mother being ill though I muse humorously.

Humming to myself I walk down the stairs, I join Irie-kun at the table. He's reading the newspaper and drinking a cup of coffee. The other seats remain empty. "Where's everyone else? Weren't they supposed to be back late last night?" I ask as I help myself to some toast.

"Mom called this morning, she and Yuki met up with our dads. Since Yuki doesn't start school till next week, they decided to stay a few more days to make sure my grandmother's doing well before coming back." He states flipping a page. I nod my head, finishing my toast and pouring myself a small cup of coffee. We finish breakfast in silence and I stand up afterwards to clean the dishes before we head to school.

On the way to school, I start to feel jitters settling in my stomach. I close my eyes, taking a deep breath… Arms grab my bicep halting my movement. "What was that…?" I open my eyes, "Oh…Sorry, I must have been spacing out." I apologize to Irie-kun. I had been mere centimeters from stepping off the sidewalk right into oncoming traffic.

"Geez, you're going to get yourself killed." Irie-kun sighs.

"Sorry" I mumble my apology again.

As we approach the school gates, I begin to drift behind Irie-kun steps, appearing as though we hadn't come to school together. I soon lose him in the crowd of students loitering around the gates waiting for their friends. Sighing, I pull my bag higher on my shoulder, pushing through the masses to find the class list on the school bulletin board. Hunting through the list of names, I spot mine: Aihara, Kotoko: Class A. I groan, rolling my eyes. Perfect, this is just perfect. I shoulder my way out of the crowd, breaking out only to crash into a small group of girls. Looking up at their faces to apologies, I nearly knelt to pray God why was he punishing me.

"Oh, it's you. Didn't you get expelled for cheating on the final exam?" Kobayakawa-san sneers in disgust. I sigh mentally. Why me?

"No I didn't. I never cheated in the first place. I was actually just checking to see what class I was in this year, since I've been doing so well in the last couple of years. Now, if you'll please excuse me, I have to meet up with some friends. I guess I'll see you in class Kobayakawa-san." I nod my head at her, striding away from her posse group. Behind me, I could hear them arguing the disgrace that I manage to get into their class, as they leave to check the bulletin board. After stopping by the school office to pick up my new textbooks, I walk around to the back of the school where I spot Satomi, Jinko and Kin-chan and his friends near a bench.

"Hey, guys, how was your summer break?" I call out as I approach them.

Kin-chan looks up from where he's being comforted by his friends, Satomi and Jinko, a pained look on his face. "KOTOKO!" He cries, jumping up to smother me in a hug. "We're not in the same class this year. You're in a class with Mr. Genius and I can't protect you from him anymore." He pulls back, grabs my arms, and looks seriously into my eyes. "We have to declare our relationship to the school so nobody pulls any funny business while you're away from me." I yank my arms out of his tight grip.

"Ow, Kin-chan that hurt." I shoot back at him rubbing my arms, "I'm not going to declare a fake relationship with you. Why does it matter that I'm in a classroom with Irie Naoki or not? He already refused to accept my love letter because he has a girlfriend." I shrug my shoulders sitting down between Satomi and Jinko.

"So where were you all summer?" Satomi asks curiously. "Every time we invited you to hang out with us, you always had an excuse."

I laugh nervously. "Sorry about that, the family I'm staying with wanted some help with a project of theirs, and parts of their family were ill. I was helping out all summer, you know, for volunteer work."

They all stare at me strangely, "Kotoko, why do you need volunteer work?" They ask, creases forming on their forehead.

My jaw drops open. "You guys, you need thirty hours of volunteer work or a paid work experience in order to graduate high school. I've been collecting them since the beginning of grade eleven."

"WHAT!?" They all scream.

I shake my head. The warning school bells rings, alerting students to proceed to their class. "Look I have to go. My class is on the other side of the school now. I'll meet up with you guys for lunch ok?" I call over my shoulder as I jog off to the Class A classroom.

Inside, I stop dead; the classroom is so much more different from Class F. The walls are blank, the desks are pristine and proper the chalkboard has been wiped down and cleaned over the summer. A piece of paper hangs from the board and a crowd of students swarm it. I spot Watanabae-san sitting by the window, I plop my bag on a desk near him, only to pick it back up when he shakes his head. "Check the board, we have a seating arrangement." I nod and make my way slowly to the front of the class. Whispers from my classmates reach my ears, gossiping about my class change. Spotting my name on the sheet of paper, I place my bag down on my new desk in the front row. I draw my notebook and pencil case from my bag just as the bell rings and the teacher walks into the class.

"My name is Mr. Takashima. Open your French text book to page 74 now." He says as he closes the door behind him, and begins to write on the board.

A rustle of pages breaks the silence of the class as the students flip the pages of their textbook. **Les verbes subjonctif** is the title of the chapter. I mentally groan. I hate verb conjugations with a passion last year and this year would be no different. Luckily for me, Irie-kun is usually really good at it. Speaking of which, I didn't see him when I walked into the class. At that moment, the door opens. Everyone's head turns at the sound. Irie-kun walks in closing the door behind him. "Sorry Mr. Takashima, I was meeting with the school councillor." He apologizes.

Mr. Takashima nods, scanning his seating arrangement. "Your desk is here behind Ms. Aihara, whom I don't believe I've met." His eyes shift to meet mine. I nod my head.

"Yes sir, I moved up from Class F." I state, sensing Irie-kun shifting into the desk behind me. Mr. Takashima nods his head slowly, realization and understanding reflects in his eyes.

"Well done getting into a higher class. I should let you know that in this class we take our education very seriously. I don't know how class F teaches but I do not want any trouble in my class. Is that understood Ms. Aihara?" I nod my head. Turning his body, he continues to write and teach the lesson filling the board from one side to the other.

By lunch my head was nearly pounding. We had reviewed everything from last year in French and Chemistry and were taught several basic concepts for Calculus. I was astounded at the pace and attitude of the class. There were no jokes or laughter, no comments or questions. The students seemed to simply take in all the information the teacher taught. As the bell rings for lunch, the students reopen their textbooks, comparing the contents to the notes they took. I turn around in my desk to face Irie-kun who was reading a novel. Sighing, I tap quietly on his desk. His eyes look up at me. "Are we allowed to leave the classroom for lunch?" I ask quietly.

He nods his head. "Class starts as soon as the bell rings." He warns before lowering his eyes to his book. I nod my thanks, grabbing my lunch. As I walk pass, he drops his right hand to brush against mine. Walking down the hall, I smile contently.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey I'm back...exhausted and ready to fall asleep for a few years but I'm here. It's been a hectic week so I'm surprised I managed to finish the chapter. Teachers in the last week of school before marks are due are torturous! Anyhow, Kotoko and Naoki are in the same class, but can she fit in. Let me know your thoughts, expectations, likes and dislikes. I'll write to you guys next time. Ciao.<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The First Two to Find Out

**WAIT! Before you start reading, take a minute to guess who you think the first two people to find out about Naoki and Kotoko are.**

* * *

><p>"So, Kotoko, what is it like being in class A?" Satomi and Jinko ask after the first week of school. Their eyes are wide and excited for new information. I put my finger against my lips, effectively quieting down before returning back to the notes I took on the table. After I realized that the students of class A basically learn the material by themselves with help from the notes taken in class, I devote several hours after school to studying and learning the material. The first test is coming up and I want to do well. Especially since most of the class still thinks I don't belong there. I was also hiding from them but they seemed to always find me. I need a new studying spot.<p>

"Can I talk to you guys later? I have to learn the material before my test next week." I rub my forehead feeling a headache coming on. Irie-kun usually has the best methods for curing anything, especially headaches. "Maybe I can ask him to tutor me." I mumble packing up my bag.

"Why do you have to learn the material? Doesn't the teacher teach you anything? Class A sounds like you don't do anything in class. At least in Class F the teacher teaches us the material." Satomi huffs out.

"He does teach us, but he writes and talks so fast that you can't do anything else but take notes. No one ever asks any questions." I shake my head, trying to blink away exhaustion. "Look, I have to go. I'm going to see if I can find my teacher before he leaves the school. I'll talk to you guys tomorrow." I walk past them, leaving the library. I scoot over to the classroom, where I knock on the door. A voice tells me to come in.

"Hi, Mr. Takashima, I have a question about Chemistry lesson you taught us today." I start timidly.

"Ms. Aihara, what I do in class is not teaching. The students of Class A are quite efficient if you haven't notice. They want to be prepared for university entrance exams and, in the past, we discussed with then class how they want to be taught. As they want to learn as much as possible, I lecture as much material as I can for each course each day and they go home and learn the lesson themselves." He states.

I just stare at him. "So…the attitude of the class…they want it that way?" He nods his head. "That's…just…incredible." He nods his head again. "In any case, I'm here after class everyday till 5:30 to help my students with any material they don't understand. Since they all want to learn by themselves, I mostly use the time to mark your homework assignments. Tell me, your homework, do you do it by yourself?" He asks curiously.

I shake my head. "Most of the time yes, but I'm staying with a classmate because my house was destroyed. If I don't know something, I ask him."

"I see. Does this person happen to by Mr. Irie Naoki?"

I step back slightly. "Why do you ask?"

Mr. Takashima reclines in his chair. "That last Chemistry homework assignment was two parts. The first part was relevant to the material I taught in class that day. The second part, which was my mistake, I shouldn't have put it on as it is almost university level material, everyone but two students got the answer wrong. You and Mr. Irie are the only two with full credit for that assignment."

I laugh, "That question stumped me for hours. I managed to figure out the first two equations needed but I did end up asking Irie-kun how he solved it. He gave me last formula and afterwards it was basic stoichiometry." I sigh, "No point hiding it, it's obvious anyways since you're marking our homework. Irie-kun doesn't want anyone to know that I'm living with his family so don't tell anyone."

"You don't have to worry about me; I don't have time to gossip with the faculty staff as I'm always preparing for the next lesson. Anyways, didn't you want to see me about the Chemistry lecture?"

* * *

><p>"I'm back." I call out into the house later that evening. Mr. Takashima was very helpful to teach the lesson to me after school. It was great that he was willing to help us out. The Class F teacher ran out when the bell rang. I put my shoes away and walk into the living room where Mrs. Irie and Mr. Irie were sitting.<p>

"Hello, Kotoko-chan how was your day?" Mrs. Irie says smiling at me.

"Not bad, I'm sorry I'm so late coming home, I stopped to talk to Mr. Takashima." I apologize.

"Don't worry about it. Naoki and Yuki are upstairs and dinner should be ready in an hour or so." Mrs. Irie stands up, brushing imaginary dust away from her apron. "Why don't you go change into something more comfortable?" She says smiling, walking away into the kitchen.

I nod my head at Mr. Irie who was reading a newspaper before leaving the room and waking up the stairs. In the hallway, Irie-kun was leaning against his closed door.

"You weren't in the library after school." He states, pushing away from the wall.

"I was talking to Mr. Takashima to ask for some help." I reply walking past him. "I didn't understand the entire Chemistry lecture so I went back after school for some help." I open my door, gesturing for him to follow me.

I grab some clothes from my closet, rushing the bathroom to change. When I came back, Irie-kun was sitting at my desk reading something from an envelope. "What are you…Hey! That's mine!" I snatch the piece of paper out of his hands.

Irie-kun looks at me and reaches for the envelope. "It's addressed to me isn't it? When did you write that letter?"

I took the envelope and placed the love letter back inside. "I can't believe you went snooping in my room."

He just looks at me. I sigh, placing the letter back into the drawer of my desk. "I wasn't lying when I told Satomi and Jinko that I wrote a love letter. I wrote it during the summer before our second year. I was going to give it to you on the first day of school but I got cold feet right before you walked through the gates. I put it here, thinking I would ask you some other time. Then I got you as my peer tutor and the rest is history. I look towards the closed drawer. "I completely forgot I still have it."

"You do realize I probably wouldn't have accepted it?" He cocks his head to one side slightly. "You probably would have been the laughing stock of the school."

I laugh sitting on his lap, his arms coming up to rest on my hips. "Then it's probably a very good thing that I didn't give you the letter hmm?" I tangle my fingers in his hair. "I probably would never find myself in the situation with you."

"Naoki, Yuki, Kotoko-chan, it's time for dinner! Come down please." Mrs. Irie's voice penetrates our moment. Irie-kun sighs, dropping his head onto my shoulder.

"Let's go before mom starts speculating the worst."

As I open the door, Yuki-kun backs away from the door in a hurry. His mouth and eyes wide open, his face turning bright red when he sees his brother.

"Yuki-kun? What are you doing?" I ask him.

Irie-kun walks by me. "Yuki seems to have been eavesdropping on our conversation. Tell mom we'll be down in a bit for dinner. I need a little chat with my brother." He grabs Yuki-kun by his arm, dragging him into their shared room, closing the door behind them.

I shrug my shoulders; Irie-kun can handle Yuki-kun, and walk downstairs to the dining room table.

After dinner, I help Mrs. Irie with the dishes before heading upstairs to finish my homework. As I pull out my Calculus textbook and a notepad, there's a knock on my door. "Come in," I call searching my desk for my pencil. The door quietly opens and shuts. I turn in my chair, "Oh, Yuki-kun, do you need something?"

Yuki-kun just stands there, leaning against my door, staring at me. "What do you like about my brother?" He asks finally.

I lean against the back of my chair, resting my chin on my arms. That's a good question. You know, you're brother and I had a fight before summer started. He accused me a cheating on him and I called him a jerk and promptly walked away. The entire time we were apart, I was miserable. I missed his know-it-all attitude, the way his arms tighten around me like I'm the only light in a void of darkness. I love solemn tenor of his voice, but most of all, I found his attitude towards life intriguing."

"His attitude towards life?" Yuki-kun asks confused.

I smile slightly. Walking over to my bed, I pat the spot next to me, inviting him to sit down. "Before we started dating, your brother used to tutor me at the public library as part of the peer tutoring sessions we had to participate in during our second year. I told him that I wanted to make the top 100 on the midterm exam, remember that I was truly a Class F student at the time, Irie-kun promptly told me that I was insane. He quoted 'The most important thing is the ability to tell apart the impossible and the possible' by Phillip Chesterfield. He was basically telling me that challenging the impossible was a waste of time."

Yuki-kun cracks a smile. "that sounds like Oni-chan."

I smile in return, "doesn't it? Anyways, you know how your brother never studies? How everything he does comes almost instinctively and easily?" Yuki-kun nods his head. "Well he was impressed that I applied my whole self into something when I'm focused." Yuki-kun looked at me accusingly.

"That doesn't sound like Oni-chan."

I roll my eyes. "He finished by saying he didn't understand how I could apply my entire being into a task and continuously fail all the time." Yuki-kun laughs and I crack a smile at his expression. "When I came in the top 100 that year, I thanked him and we went our separate ways. After a huge argument between the student body saying I cheated and the faculty trying to defend me, the school administration and I agreed that we'd keep my marks hidden if I came in the top 100. When finals came around that year, I placed 90th. Irie-kun found me after school to yell at me. He was furious that after all the time he put in to help me, I blow it by failing the exam. I took him to the office to show him my marks. I honestly think he was more surprised than I was."

Yuki-kun looks up at me. "I would be surprise too, but you're still not explaining what you mean when you say my brother's attitude towards life is intriguing to you."

I lie down on the bed staring up at the ceiling. "Irie-kun never studies and never bothers to. When he was around me, I guess my attitude and application towards me own studies and actions inspired him to find a meaning for him. I want to be there when he find his passion." I turn my head to look at Yuki-kun. "I want your brother to be happy, he's happy when he's near me because he thinks I bring excitement into his life. The way he was before, cold and indifferent about life is not a way to live. If you find something, a career or a hobby, that you're passionate about, then life has a meaning to it. Does that make sense at all?"

Yuki-kun contemplates my words for a bit. "So…it's like finding something you like to do so that you're not just going through of life but living life?" I nod my head. He stands up and turns to face me. "Take care of my brother for me Kotoko-san. I think you're going to be good for him." He says before leaving my room, shutting my door before I can speak. I grin cheerfully before walking back to my desk to deal with my Calculus homework.

* * *

><p><strong>Not what you thought? or did you...? I felt like I should probably introduce how Naoki and Kotoko met and why they wanted to keep her marks a secret. My longest chapter yet but also more of a filler and a back ground story. Tell me your thoughts and lit me know how you thought were going to find out and if you liked it or not. I'm going to try and wrap up high school in a few more chapter because we still have the entire university arc to do and I might end the story there. On a brighter note, if anyone is watching the LOVE IN TOKYO adaptation of Itazura na Kiss, how stoked are you guys for season two? Last Monday they re-aired the Love in Okinawa episode so this Monday...Oh! I'm so excited. Anyhow, I'll get started on the next chapter, give your thoughts, criticism, likes and dislikes and I'll write to you guys next time. Ciao.<strong>


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: We Have Dinner Crashers

_Several months later…_

"Kotoko, could you come home right after school today?" Dad asks me during breakfast.

I nod my head, "no problem dad, but why? Do you need me for something?"

Dad sits back in his chair a little. "Well, Iri-chan has been so kind to let us live with his family so long that I want to cook dinner tonight in thanks."

"Shigeru, you don't have to." Mrs. Irie exclaims, "I love cooking and it's been a pleasure to have you around."

"No, I would like to do this if you don't mind. I'll treat everyone to my restaurant's special." Dad insists. Mrs. Irie nods her head smiling. "So I'll see you after school Kotoko?" Dad turns his attention to me. I nod my head, standing up. "No problem, dad. I'm going to head out now. Thanks for breakfast." I call over my shoulder grabbing my bag. "Kotoko-chan? What's the rush?" Mrs. Irie calls.

I stick my head back into the room. "Watanabae-kun and I have a bet on who was going to do better on this midterm exam. Marks are being posted this morning so I'm going early so I can gloat in his face."

Irie-kun turns around, rolling his eyes. "What makes you so certain you're going to get a better mark? Watanabae's been second ever since we entered high school."

I wink at the family, "I call it female instincts. I'll see you all tonight." I put my shoes on and dash to school.

When I arrive, I spot a crowd of students loitering around the school doors. Sitting on a bench under a tree, Watanabae waves his hand when he spots me. I jog over, "Have you looked at the marks yet?" I ask.

He shakes his head. "Not yet, I was waiting for you. All we have left is to wait for Irie. I'm pretty sure I surpassed him this time."

I shook my head laughing. "Yeah right, as if you could ever surpass Irie-kun."

Ten minutes later, Irie-kun walks through the school gates, nose buried in his book as always. He looks up and spots us together right away.

I stand up, brushing down my skirt, "You certainly took your time. Come on you two, I want to gloat." Together we push pass the crowd of students reaching the top end of the top 100.

"YES! I knew I was right! In your face, Watanabae-kun. You owe me 20 dollars." I cheer gleefully, laughing at him spotting my name between Irie-kun's and Watanabae-kun's. Watanabae-kun eyes seemed to bulge from his head. He couldn't remove them from the bulletin board.

"How the heck did you get a 498? I know I did better than 495. " Irie-kun rolls his eyes at us.

"Accept it. She beat you fair and square. Don't even consider thinking she cheated. We all wrote the exam at the same time. Even Kobayakawa-san can't argue that she cheated."

I pout, "Like I would ever cheat on an exam."

Irie-kun ignores me, grabbing his bag, "I'll see you guys in class. I need to talk to the school counselor about my university applications before classes start."

"Good point, I need to talk to her as well. See you in a bit Kotoko-san." He hands me my twenty dollars before leaving with Irie-kun towards the counselors' office. I wave goodbye before shouldering my own bag, heading for the classroom.

* * *

><p>"I'm back, dad. What do you need help with?" I call into the house as I step inside. I run upstairs quickly to change, heading into the kitchen in less than five minutes. Inside the kitchen, Dad's surrounded by steaming pots.<p>

"Kotoko, could you marinate the chicken for me? Just use whatever it is you make for the store." Dad calls over from where he's thinly slicing the halibut. I nod my head and proceed to mix together in ingredients for my citrus teriyaki sauce. I place the chicken into the finished sauce, placing it into the refrigerator for a couple of hours. Closing the refrigerator door, I spot the potatoes, butter, onion, cheese and milk laid out near the stove. Grabbing a casserole dish from the cupboards, I slice into the potatoes, laying them into the dish. I added diced onions and another layer of potatoes. Over by the stove, I scoot my father over from where he was frying bacon to share the space. Taking a saucepan, I melt the butter, adding flour to make a roux. I add milk and cheese, continuously stirring the mixture until it thickens. I pour it over the potatoes, cover the dish with an aluminum foil and place it into the preheated oven.

I check the time, grabbing the chicken from the fridge; I place them onto a baking sheet, before putting it into the second oven. After setting a timer, I begin collecting the various utensils lying around the kitchen and around my dad who was breading the halibut pieces and place them into the sink. I'm putting away the last fork when the stove oven timer goes off. I take out the potato gratin and replace the space with the baking tray filled with Brussel sprouts and chopped bacon. Setting the oven to bake, I place the gratin on the warm stove top to keep the dish hot. I run out to the dining room to set up the table. Mrs. Irie and Mr. Irie are sitting in the living room, reading a novel and the newspaper respectively. Mrs. Irie looks up when I walk in.

"Kotoko-chan, do you and your father need any help?" She asks. I shake my head, setting the table quickly.

"We're all good in here. Maybe call everyone down? Dinner should be ready in ten minutes." I walk back into the kitchen and grabbing a hot pad and the gratin. Making my way back out, I set the dish down, leaving the aluminum foil on the dish. Dad comes out right behind me with a salad and the plate of fried fish and sets them on the table. I hear the timer go off inside the kitchen. Turning off the oven, I take the chicken out of the oven, plating the meat. When the timer for the Brussel sprouts goes off, I move the food into a serving bowl before returning to the table. Irie-kun and Yuki-kun were sitting at the table, and dad was serving the adults a glass of wine.

"Aihara-san, did you make all of this?" Yuki-kun eyes bug out at the assortment of food.

Dad shakes his head, "I made the salad, the fish and the Brussel sprouts. The gratin and the chicken is Kotoko's specialty." Yuki-kun turns, wide –eyed towards me.

"You made this? It smells so good." I laugh at his expression.

"Why don't you try it first then tell me how it tastes. Ok?" I sit down at the table with everyone else. The Irie family thanks us for the food before digging in.

"Kotoko-chan, the chicken is excellent." Mrs. Irie exclaims.

"I like the potatoes; it's filled with cream and cheese." Yuki-kun states, as he shovels more potatoes into his mouth.

Irie-kun takes a bit of the fish. "This is very good Aihara-san, Kotoko-san. Thank you again for the meal." He continues to eat.

Mr. Irie beams down our side. "Well Ai-chan, you've certainly proved why you own a restaurant. It's also nice to see that your cooking genes were passed down to Kotoko." I blush at his statement.

Dad looks over at me, proud "It's nice to know that I did pass on some characteristics. Heaven knows she's just like her mother. Anyways, I'm glad she such a good cook. She's going to need it for her future family."

"Kotoko-chan doesn't have to worry about finding a husband. She's going to marry into our family." Mrs. Irie pipes up before taking another bite.

I choke on my food. Coughing harshly, I gulp water down from my glass while Irie-kun begins to raise his voice against his mother. "Don't decide my life for me. You have no right to say who I will or won't marry."

I slam my glass down on the table. Still coughing I place my hand on her arm. "Please don't say things like that. Especially since Irie-kun and I don't like each other that much."

"What are you saying Kotoko? Just last night- Ow, Oni-chan. That hurts." Yuki-kun screeches. I suspect Irie-kun pinched him. When Irie-kun glares at him, Yuki-kun turns back to me; an evil grin appears on his face. "Just last night you were telling me about the love letter you wrote to my brother." Irie-kun bursts out laughing.

I turn bright red. "I-I-I did no such thing." I sputter out indignantly.

Irie-kun turns to look at me. "Oh really? Then the letter on your desk wasn't addressed to me? Yuki was kind enough to hand it to me, seeing as the envelope had my name on it." I stare incredulous at him. What was he trying to pull? I thought we were trying to hide our relationship. I could feel everyone's eyes on me, so nobody saw Irie-kun wink at me and mouth the words telling me to play along.

"Kotoko-chan, you wrote a love letter on Naoki?" Mrs. Irie squeals in delight. "That means there's a chance that my wish could come true."

"No it doesn't! I don't even like him that way anymore."

Irie-kun leans back against his chair, smiling thoughtfully. "You gave me the letter at school last year didn't you? How did it go again…?" Before he could finish that thought, a bang outside the house had us all turning our heads.

"Who are they?" Mr. Irie asks astonished.

I stand up straight, making my way over to the sliding door. "They were my classmates last year." I answer Mr. Irie as I open the door.

"Kin-chan? Satomi? Jinko? What are you guys doing here? Better questions, how did you find this place?" I ask. "You can't come barging into other people's houses. Oi! Kin-chan, are you even listening to me?" Kin-chan brushes by me walking into the house.

"Irie Naoki, you may be a genius, but even a genius can be an evil wild man. Don't try anything on my Kotoko!" He shouts.

"Who are you?" Yuki-kun asks, glaring at me. I shake my head at him. Yuki-kun relaxes, a bored expression forms on his face.

"Uh, I'm sorry about barging in like this. You have a lovely home. My name is Kinnosuke Ikezawa. Kotoko and I have a very passionate relationship."

"Kin-chan, we don't. Stop telling lies." I pull at his sleeve trying to drag him out.

"Irie, you hear me? Don't try anything on her. Got it?"

Irie-kun smirks a little. "I can't promise that. You know how it is, being a 'man' and all, people can change their minds. You may hate someone today, but you might like that person tomorrow." He drawls.

"What? You like Kotoko now, is that it?" Kin-chan asks confused.

Irie-kun stands up. "I didn't say that. Just remember, she likes me more than she likes you. She might say otherwise but her motives are there. Why else would she have tried to get into Class A?" He turns away. "Your presence has ruined my appetite. The food Kotoko-san made was delicious too." He turns his head back. "Enjoy your stay." He states sarcastically before turning away and leaving the room.

"Kin-chan, come on. You can't just barge into people's houses." I successfully manage to drag him out of the house. Satomi, Jinko follow us. "What are you doing here you guys?" I ask once we were away from the door.

Satomi and Jinko trade looks before glancing over at Kin-chan. He was standing there staring at the house, a scowl on his face. "Kin-chan followed you after school." Satomi finally says. "He was curious as to why you were improving so quickly and hanging around the smart kids more than us. He watched you walk into the house and was still there when Irie Naoki came home. He called us and we've been outside watching your interactions. Are you actually staying here, Kotoko?" She asks.

I raise my eyes to the sky sighing loudly. "Irie-kun didn't want anyone to know we were living together. He tolerates me at school and barely tolerates me in his house. To be quite frank, I'm starting to hate him a little. You heard his attitude towards me while we were eating. Anyways, it's only for a short while longer, then we're all off to college and dad should be able to find another house. Please don't tell anybody. Irie-kun might murder me in my sleep if this gets out." I beg them.

Kin-chan finally looked over. "We won't tell. No point giving that arrogant genius more ammo than he deserves. Are you ok living here, Kotoko?" He asks me.

I shrug my shoulders. "I would prefer not to live with him, especially since his mom is a little eccentric, but I'm not going to split from dad." I answer.

"Fine, we'll go. But first sign that he's being mean again and we'll be back to take you away. Got it?" I nod my head. "Well, see you tomorrow Kotoko." Kin-chan stalks off into the night. Satomi and Jinko bid me good night before taking off after him. I sigh once they leave. Turning around, I make my way back to the house.

* * *

><p>I flop down onto my bed exhausted. Dealing with Kin-chan seems to be more effort each day. I reach my hand over and pat my night table, searching for my iPod. I click play, and music fills the void, thumping in my ear. Closing my eyes, I let the music sweep me away.<p>

A hand covers my mouth. I squeak in surprise, thrashing, my eyes flying wide open. Irie-kun is sitting on my bed his finger to his mouth. I remove my ear buds as his hands drops away from my mouth.

"What are you doing in my room?" I ask, only for Irie-kun to shush me. Pointing at my clock, I follow the path of his finger. "It's past midnight? I only lay back for a few minutes." I whisper.

Irie smiles, "you've been out like a light, I've been in your room for an hour. I went to the bathroom before bed and Yuki locked me out. I've locked your door so no one should come in. I was hoping I could sleep here instead of downstairs.

I blush slightly. "Don't try any funny business." I mutter, sliding over in my bed. Irie-kun lies down beside me. His arm reaches around me and pulls me against his warm body. I sigh at the contact, feeling warm and safe in his embrace. "I love you, Kotoko. Good night." He whispers, kissing the top of my head.

I snuggle closer, breathing in his scent. "Good night Irie-kun. I love you too."

* * *

><p><strong>Hey guys, I'm back. First snowfall of the year over the weekend so I'm excited for winter. I hope you guys are watching Love in Tokyo...Did you see today's episode! I don't think it's possible for Yuki Furukawa to get any hotter. He does not look like he's in his late 20s. Anyhow, I need help for the next chapter, the more reviews the more elements I can add to the next chapter. Should Kin-chan, Satomi and Jinko tell the school that Naoki and Kotoko are living together or not? Write me your thoughts as I actually can't decide. I'll probably start drafting the next chapter tomorrow during my spare or later in the week. Write to you guys next time. Ciao.<strong>


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: The Cat's Out of the Bag and Future Plans

"Aihara Kotoko, where are you?" I turn in my seat, eyeing the panting girl whose eyes were glaring at me. Beside her, her posse were also gasping for breath. I sigh internally.

"Is there something wrong, Kobayakawa-san?" I ask putting my notes down. "I didn't cheat on the last test, so there's no need to yell at me." I point out.

Kobayakawa-san shakes her head. She raises an arm, and points at me accusingly. "You don't have to cheat; Irie-san tutors you every day. I knew there was a reason for why you're doing better than me when you shouldn't."

"WHAT!?" The entire class gasps looking between Irie-kun and I.

"What makes you say that?" I laugh uncomfortably, "Ask Mr. Takashima, I've gone to see him after school for help with the lesson. Besides, do you see Irie-kun tutoring anybody? That peer thing during our second year doesn't count. You could see he hated it, he hated tutoring me. Why would he continue?" I point out.

"Because he doesn't have a choice," She crosses her arms. "We've all met Irie-san mother. We know how she is. She probably forced him to tutor you because you live in the same house. Don't even try to lie to me," She says when I open my mouth to argue. "I heard your friends talking."

"WHAT?!" The class gasps again, staring at me.

I roll my eyes; of course they would be talking about it at school. I was going to murder them. "Isn't it rude to eavesdrop?" I ask.

"I wasn't eavesdropping." She sniffs as though the very action was beneath her. "That idiot boy's voice carries. Don't try and get out of it. You and Irie-san are living together."

I sigh and sit back down in my seat. Briefly I make eye contact with Irie-kun who nods his head slightly at the question in my eyes. "What do you want me to say, Kobayakawa-san? That it's true I'm staying with Irie-san? Yeah it is. My dad and his dad are friends. That's the only reason why I'm staying there in the first place. Is Irie-san tutoring me? No he isn't. You can ask him yourself. Now if you excuse me, I want to review before our quiz. This is Class A after all." Turning around, I could hardly pay attention to the papers on my desk. Behind me, I could hear Kobayakawa-san mutter to her friends about how we didn't have a quiz. Irie-kun stands up, as the students pile around his desk, spilling into the space near mine, bombarding him with questions and comments.

"I don't tutor her. I hated it the first time and while she's finally smarter, I don't want to deal with an imbecile again." He utters mockingly, answering one of our classmates.

I spin around, faking anger. "Excuse me? Did you just call me stupid?"

"Apparently you know what it means, why are you asking me?" He cocks his head, that ridiculously charming smirk on his face.

"I'm not stupid! If I was, would I be in this class?" I ask, hands on my hips.

"Well you weren't before this year, were you? Back then, it was quiet in the classroom." He drawls.

"I don't say anything in class!" I throw my hands up in the air in exasperation.

At that moment, our argument goes silent as Mr. Takashima walks into the classroom. "Well, I certainly have no idea what is going on in here, but as Class A students, I would hope you understand the meaning of a quiet environment to learn the most we can. Sit down, all of you. Take out your pencil, I have a pop test." I turn around to face Kobayakawa-san, smirking at her expression of disbelief. Before I face the front, Irie-kun winks at me. I face the blackboard as Mr. Takashima hands out the test papers, a smile flitters to my lips.

* * *

><p>"I am going to kill those idiots with my bare hands when I see them. " I mutter darkly into my pillow.<p>

Irie-kun chuckles slightly. "I'm not opposing to that idea, now Ikezawa won't have a reason to touch you now."

I turn my head slightly to glare at the boy sitting beside me. "Don't start. I'm not in the mood to deal with your possessiveness. Oh, hey, why are you in my room? It's almost dinner. Where is everyone?" I ask, rolling over onto my side.

Irie-kun lies down beside me. "Mom's downstairs making dinner. Yuki's in our room working on homework and dad has that corporate dinner. He's having at the Aihara so your dad might be there working."

"Probably, he's a little short staffed nowadays. He's trying to find a full time server." I sit up. "So what are we going to do about today? Knowing Kobayakawa-san, she's going to spread the word."

He shuffles over till he's behind me. Sitting up, he wraps his arms around my waist pulling me closer. "We keep up our act. I hate you and you detest me. That's what everyone thinks, why bother changing the fact that we're dating. I know you hate me a little when I pushed you into the position to show your marks. I don't want our last year to be horrible for you."

"Aw, you can be sweet." I coo, scuffing up his hair before styling it back. He swats my hand away.

"Stop that." He growls.

I giggle, leaning back against his chest. I stare up at the ceiling. "Speaking of our last year, where are you applying next year?"

Irie-kun cocks his head thoughtfully, "Why is everyone so anxious to go to college? I don't need more people teaching me stuff I can learn on my own."

I twist my head, staring up at his face. "But you need to! You won't be recognized for any successful careers without a degree."

"Well, what do you want to study?" He asks. I open my mouth to answer, and then close it. He has a point. What do I want to study? I didn't have the funds for an expensive university so I was probably going to go to our high school's escalator university, provided I do well in the final exam and the university entrance exam, but I don't know what I want to study.

"I guess I'll figure it out while I'm there. Isn't that what college is for? To further your education and figure out what you want to do with your life?"

Irie-kun's hands drop away. He lies back down on my bed. "I envy you sometimes." Huh? I stare at him in confusion. "Everything I do is boring. There's no spark of interest, no focused drive towards a goal. I can just figure things out really quickly. You know that." He continues. "But you, you throw yourself into every task you do. Moving for Class F to Class A, Aiming to beat me on a test, when you're cooking, studying, everything you do is never precise but you try." He looks up at me; a small smile appears on his face. "You're amazing. I don't think I tell you this often enough."

"I don't think you tell me I'm amazing at all." I mutter cheekily, my cheeks blushing red a little.

"Why you…" He reaches up, tickling my waist. I shriek, squirming, and laughing. When I can breathe again, minutes later, I lie flush against his side with his arm around me. "You know, you're amazing too." I state, looking up into his eyes. "One day, you're going to come across an inspiration which is going to motivate you to complete a task. I don't know what your future career is going to be, but I do know that you're going to find it interesting. You're going to love it every day."

Irie-kun looks at me, and draws my head closer to his. BANG! MY door flies open. I squeak, bouncing up into a sitting position and accidentally knee Irie-kun in the side. He groans and rolls away from me. "Yuki…" He growls menacingly.

Yuki-kun wrinkles his nose. "I really didn't need to see you two all over each other. Next time, lock the door please. Mom says its dinner time." He says before turning around and walking back down the hallway.

"He's going to develop the worst timing. I can feel it." Irie-kun grumbles.

"He's not so bad. Better than others, wouldn't you say?" I smile as he takes my hand.

"Come on; let's go before mom starts getting suspicious."

* * *

><p><strong>Hey guys...I have nothing to say on my part. I had a little writers block even with all your advice and I wanted this part to be up to par. I'm sorry for the delay. School has been...tough. Whoever said Grade 12 was the fun and easy year, they need to go back to school because it's hard. Anyways I've been swamped with tests and assignments, not to mention, two formal labs but hey, no biggie. I probably won't be able to get another chapter till after holidays have started (the 19th) but I will try my hardest to get one out next week. Any who, I'm trying to get this story going, setting up the chapters where Irie-kun takes the exam for a prestigious university so we'll see how that turns out. Give me your thoughts, comments, criticisms and I'll see you guys next time. Ciao.<strong>

**P.S. Caitlyn, the French parts I didn't put in because I didn't like having stars or the same phrases in English because that irritates me when I read Fanfictions. I generally just search it up into Google translate but I noted them down here for you and will note down any others in the future if you guys want it that way.**

**Chapter 4: "Aihara-san, peut to venir dehors avec to sac?" **_Aihara-san could you come outside with your bag? (Thank you to my unknown Guest for the corrections)  
><em>**Chapter 5: "Mon professeur est assez bien, merci beacuoup, mais je voulais rester avec mes amis et c'est la class en entier qui fait que c'est difficile d'étudier" **_The teacher is good, thank you very much, but I wanted to stay with my friends and it's the classes fault. That's why it's so hard to_ study.  
><strong>Chapter 5: "Pas mal, votre Français a beaucoup amélioré. Ça va, je sais tes raisons, mais retournant à les mathématiques." <strong>_Not bad, your french has improved. Don't worry about it, I know your reasons, but return back to the math problem._


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Accident and Results

I knock on Irie-kun's bedroom door. A muffled "come in" invites me to open the door and step into his room. Irie-kun looks up from the book he's reading by his desk. "Hey, it's me. I made you a good luck charm for you." I utter, closing the door behind me. I quickly attach it to his bag. Do you need anything else? I can make you breakfast tomorrow, a lunch, help pack your bag-"

"Kotoko," Irie-kun interrupts me, "Come here." He stands up, grabbing my arm, and leads me to his bed. He pulls me down so that we are lying side by side facing each other. He brushes the hair away from my face, looking deep into my eyes before pulling me close. "I'm fine, don't worry about it. Shouldn't you be worried about the exam yourself?" I look away down, burying my face into his shirt.

"I didn't apply for the exam." I mumble softly, hoping he didn't hear me.

He pulls away, staring at me in shock. "What? Why not? I thought we were going to apply together. You have the grades for the university."

I shake my head, "I may have the grades for it, but they're not high enough for sufficient amount of scholarship funding I'm going to need in order to pay for my education. Dad and I can't afford the fees. I have to attend our escalator university because there's no fee there. Everyone in class A has a full scholarship to our escalator university but I've applied for others at different universities and they've all turned me down, including this one." I feel my eyes begin to water and a burying myself again into Irie-kun's chest, as sobs rip from my throat.

Irie-kun wraps his arms around me, whispering words of comfort. "Why are you so sad?" I shake my head, not wanting to answer, and hug him closer to me. I feel his lips against my hair, my source of comfort and I burst into tears again.

I hear the door open and Irie-kun looks up before shooing the person away. I look up just as the door closes. "Don't worry, it was only Yuki. Now, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" Irie-kun asks.

I look down. "I was downstairs making your charm, you know because I wanted to wish you good luck, when I realized that you're probably going to get into the university whether you had a good luck charm or not. That's when it hit me that we'd be in different schools in a different region next year. You'll have to stay in a dorm on campus because the commute is so long and I'll be here and we won't get to see each other because I can't afford the tuition." I collapse against him again, he arms winding tighter around my waist. "I was just sad I guess, and my imagination might have gotten a little carried away as well."

"Kotoko, I love you. Even if we have to work out a long distant relationship, you've been the only person to catch my attention ever. There is never going to be another girl like you. Besides, I can always decide to attend our escalator university rather than go abroad to one."

I shake my head furiously. "This is why I didn't want to tell you. Your family is ecstatic that you're following in your father's footsteps. I don't want to be the reason you don't get to go to such an amazing university. Besides, you should be happy you can go to such a prestigious university. I'll be fine Irie-kun, I was just overwhelmed for a second. I'll let you get back to studying. Please don't worry about me. Remember what we talked about? University is a place where we figure out what we want to do in the future. You have an amazing opportunity. Please don't waste it on my account." I place a quick peck on his lips. "Good night, I love you. I'll see you in the morning ok?" I smile brightly before walking out the room.

"Night, Kotoko." He responds, with a smile in his voice.

Closing the door behind me, I turn around to find Yuki staring at me. "What's wrong?" He stares in wonder at the door.

"I knew Oni-chan likes you, but I didn't realize how deep he loves you." He stares up in wonder at me. "Please take good care of my brother. If anything, I'm glad it was you and not some ditzy girl who fawns over my brother." He steps around me to open the door, closing it in my face. I blink, stunned slightly.

Smiling softly, I enter my own room, shutting the door behind me.

* * *

><p>"Stop it! I'm leaving and no one follow me!" Irie-kun yells before stomping out of the house. I cringe in my chair, holding my cup of coffee. Mrs. Irie looks out the window, worried for her son. In her hand, she clenches a bottle of medicine tablets.<p>

"Do you want me to go after him? To make sure he's alright?" I ask her quietly, taking a sip from my cup.

She turns around, a joyous expression on her face. "You're so caring, Kotoko-chan! You'll make a perfect bride." I choke on my coffee, spewing the brown liquid to stain the white tablecloth.

"Please Mrs. Irie, stop saying weird things." I cough out. Still coughing, I stand up and move towards the front door, grabbing a thick jacket and a scarf and my wallet. "I'm heading out. I'll be back in a bit." I call into the house.

Outside, the cold air bites me. It's the middle of winter and the streets are snowy and the air is chilled. I tuck my hands inside my jacket and my chin into my scarf, mummifying myself slightly before proceeding out into the streets. Luckily for me, the university entrance exam Irie-kun is taking is downtown where all the shops are. I can do some Christmas shopping while waiting for Irie-kun. Walking quickly through the streets, I spot the back of Irie-kun's head. Rolling my eyes, I slow my step to keep my distance.

I look up and sigh in relief, there's the conference center where Irie-kun's writing his exam. I feel pretty proud that he didn't see me the entire way. He stops for the light to cross the street as I try to sneak pass him with the flowing crowd.

A hand, grabs my arm and pulls. I shriek in surprise as the arm comes around my waist, holding me tight against a warm body. "I know what it looks like, but I'm not following you; I swear. I'm going to do some Christmas shopping and was going to be back in time to walk home with you once you were done writing your exam." I look up into annoyed brown eyes and smile sheepishly. "And since I was going this way your mom might have asked me to make sure you got in."

Irie-kun shakes his head and rolls his eyes, "Alright silly girl, you're off the hook for now." He kisses my forehead. "I'll see you later." He says before he walks across the road. I turn around to head off to the shopping district when there's a shout and a scream in the distance. Suddenly, a robber dressed in black comes sprinting around the corner. He's yelling and pushing people out of his way. I jump back to avoid him but I don't move fast enough. His hand slams into my shoulder and I'm sent flying. I scream before my head slams into the wall of a nearby building and my vision goes black.

* * *

><p><em>Yuki glares at me. "Oni-chan didn't get into university because of you. I told you to take of my brother! Not ruin his future!"<em>

_Mr. Irie looks as me, a disapproving look on his face. "I can't believe you tried to sabotage my son. You are not welcome into our lives anymore." Suddenly I found myself on the streets in front of the Irie house. Irie-kun appears in front of me, holding my suitcase. _

_"I can't believe I let myself get caught up in some stupid romance. Why would I ever like you? You've ruined my life!" He yells at me, shoving my bags into my arms and walks away from me._

_"I'm sorry Irie-kun. Please forgive me! Irie-kun! Irie-kun…"_

"IRIE-KUN!" I scream, bolting upright. I wince in pain before I fall back onto…a bed?

I look around the room. I'm in a hospital room. Moaning in pain, I touch the bandage around my head with my right hand. Ow! That impact with the wall must have done more damage than I thought. My arm feels heavy. I slowly lift it to see a bright purple cast. I sigh in annoyance. This is just perfect.

Just as I'm wondering how I got here. The door flings open and Irie-kun comes flying in. "Are you alright, Kotoko? I heard your scream." His eyes are wide with panic.

I just stare at him. "What are you doing here?" I shriek. He jumps back slightly, probably alarmed at my outburst.

"What do you mean?" He asks softly.

"Did you write your exam?" I demand.

He shakes his head. "How could I? Kotoko, I saw you fall and I rushed you to the hospital. You were bleeding, oh God, there was so much blood; I couldn't see how bad the injury was. Your arm was at this weird angle and you were just lying there, unconscious. I don't think I've ever been more terrified." He looks at me and I turn away to face the window as tears begin to fall down my face. "Hey, it's ok. Don't cry." Irie-kun sits down near my head. "I could care less about the exam right now. I'm just glad you're alright. Hey, look at me." He gently turns my head staring down with the gentlest expression I've ever seen. "I love you. You haven't ruined my future, if anything; this makes my life much simpler. I was going to tell dad I wanted to go to our escalator school but I wasn't sure how I was going to proceed to spill the news. At least now I have a reason. Trust me. Everything will be fine." He kisses my forehead. "The doctor called your dad a few minutes ago after they treated your head and put a cast on your arm. He should be here soon. Knowing my family, they'll come running too." He stands up. "I'll go find some food alright? Just rest for now, I'll be right back." He cups my face with his hand before turning and leaving the room.

Not five minutes later, the door flings wide once again and three adults tumble into the room. Yuki-kun calmly follows behind them.

"Kotoko-chan? Oh thank God! I'm so thankful you're alright." Mrs. Irie cries as she rushes to my bed side and takes my good hand in hers.

"Kotoko, how are you feeling sweetie?" Dad asks. I smile back.

"It hurts when I move too much but I'm alright." I look up at Mr. and Mrs. Irie. "I have to apologies for what happened. Because of me, Irie-kun didn't get to write his exam." Mrs. Irie pats my hand.

"Don't worry, dear. Naoki explained what happened. He even saw the robber push you away and you flying into the wall. We've talked to him about it and he's not worried. I know my son and I'm glad he missed the exam to help you. At least now, he'll be closer to home next year." Mrs. Irie smiles brightly.

"Naoki can make his own decisions. While I wanted him to attend the same university I did, I'm glad he was there to help you." Mr. Irie confirms cheerfully. The door slides open.

"Kotoko, the café didn't have much but I brought you some soup." Irie-kun's asks.

"Thanks Irie-kun. I may need some help sitting up though. Mrs. Irie, can you help me?" She nods, setting up the pillow and helping into an upright position.

"The doctor said you could leave later this evening after they check your head. They just want to check to see if you have a concussion." Irie-kun explains. "Why don't you guys go get something to eat? I'll stay here and eat my sandwich. I've got nothing better to do right now."

Yuki looks back and forth between us. "Yeah, mom? Dad? I'm hungry, we didn't have lunch because we got the phone call and I'm starving." The adults nod their heads and leave the room. Irie-kun sighs, "Finally, it's quiet again." He cracks open a book. "Drink your soup and take a nap. I'm not letting you do anything else until the doctor says you're fine." I nod my head and smile, taking the container from his hands. "Thanks, Irie-kun…I love you."

"I love you too. Now, drink your soup."

* * *

><p><strong>School's out! Thank God! Which means more time for writing. Little depressed that my last chapter didn't get many reviews but oh well. I think I'm going to get a Christmas chapter up for the holidays before we continue into the University arc of Itazura na Kiss. I'll see you guys all next time. Ciao<strong>


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Christmas

"So, Kotoko, are you doing anything for Christmas tonight?" Kin-chan asks as I sit down for lunch. I'd recover from my accident a couple months ago; I'd sprained my ankle, broken my arm and received a mild concussion. I was out from school for a couple of weeks to heal up and Irie-kun was nice enough to bring home the notes and assignments so I wouldn't miss much. I still had a couple tests to finish before winter break started but I was looking forward to spending Christmas with Irie-kun.

"Kotoko's participating in an all-girls night out Christmas eve with us. Isn't that right Satomi?" Jinko states linking arms with me.

"That's right. So Kin-chan, you'll have to find someone else to hang out with this Christmas." Satomi agrees linking arms with my other side.

"But…but…Kotoko, this is our last Christmas before we graduate. Shouldn't it mean something where we include everybody?" Kin-chan asks, his eyes begging me.

I inwardly sigh. I wanted to spend Christmas Eve with Irie-kun. "I don't know guys. It's Christmas Eve and I have two tests I need to catch up on before winter break. I came down to have lunch, but if we're going to argue like I know we will, I'm heading back up to the class to study." I grab my crutch in my good hand while cradling my cast close to my torso; I stand up and leave my friends. "I'll talk to you guys later tonight when I figure out what everyone else is doing alright?" I wave goodbye and slowly hobble my way back to the classroom.

"Weren't you sitting with your friends for lunch?" Irie-kun asks me once I've collapsed into my chair. He's sitting with Watanabae-kun, both holding a book in their hands.

I place my crutches under my chair and turn around to face them, "I was, but they were making Christmas plans and I can't really enjoy my lunch with arguments around me. I decided it would be more productive to study for my tests during lunch rather than listening to squabbling infants."

He slowly lowers his book and shares a look with Watanabae-kun. "Aren't they your friends?"

I sigh, letting my head fall onto his desk. "Yeah, but they're so…so…stupid sometimes." I look up to glare at him. "I don't like feeling superior like you do when you look at class F. It makes me feel sick and guilty, but they're all a bunch of nimrods." Watanabae-kun and Irie-kun both burst out laughing, attracting the attention of everyone in the class. "Thanks guys, appreciate the effort to keep inconspicuous."

The bell rings, signalling the end of the lunch break. The afternoon passes by quickly. I sigh, cracking open my text book for the last time while the students around me, clear the classroom. Soon, it's just me, Irie-kun and Mr. Takashima. Irie-kun leans down, and pats my head. "Stop worrying, you'll be fine. Bye." He nods his head to our teacher before walking out the door, his bag over one shoulder.

"Mr. Takashima waves a couple packets of paper at me. "Are you ready, Aihara-san?"

I shake my head but obediently close the text book and remove everything from my desk. "Let's get this over with.

* * *

><p>"I'm home." I groan into the house as I walk in.<p>

"Kotoko-chan, you're home so late! Hurry, hurry! We have Shigeki's corporate dinner to attend." Mrs. Irie hurries me up the stairs.

Half an hour later, I'm standing in front of the mirror staring in awe at my reflection. My black hair is pinned back with a small crystal barrette and curled to cascade freely down my back. Mrs. Irie had picked out a dark blue cocktail dress, with crystals stitched onto the hem of the dress and scattered among the bodice, that fell just above my knees. On my feet were a pair white strappy heels. My makeup was down lightly and elegantly. "Come, Kotoko-chan, let's go see what Irie-kun thinks. She hands me a white scarf which I wrap around my arms like a shawls. "Oh, you look so beautiful! Come, come." She tugs my hand and pulls me down the stairs.

At the bottom, the rest of the Irie family has gathered. Yuki looks adorable in his suit with a matching red tie, however, Mrs. Irie must have had some influence on what Irie-kun wore a blue tie that matched my dress. "Tada! Doesn't Kotoko-chan look amazing Naoki?" She gleefully squeals. "I need pictures. You two, stand together." She propels me into Irie-kun, his arms comes around to catch me.

"Mom, we have to go. It doesn't look good for the president to arrive late, especially since he has to arrive early to greet the guests."

"I guess you're right." She pouts. "I'll just have to take it there." She exclaims stuffing the camera into her purse. "Alright, let's go!"

In the car, I find myself between the two brothers. Yuki-kun can't seem to stop staring at me. "What's wrong Yuki-kun?" I ask.

"Nothing," He mutters, going bright red. He tugs on my arm, I lean down closer to his height. "It's just that, right now, you look like the perfect bride for my brother." He whispers quietly. I pull back in shock as heat rushes into my cheeks.

"Oi, Kotoko, what did he say?" Irie-kun asks, looking at both of us.

"It was nothing!" I exclaim, waving my hands in front of me. "Absolutely nothing, completely nothing, you don't have to worry about anything." He just looks at me in disbelief. My red face probably didn't help my case. He looks over at his brother who smirks. Irie-kun groans, slightly frustrated, and turns away from both of us. Mrs. Irie turns around to face us.

"We're almost there. Mind your manners everybody, and Naoki," He turns to face his mother, "Stand with your father and greet the guest with us. Unfortunately, Kotoko-chan, could you watch Yuki for about half an hour?" I nod my head. "Thank you, dear."

We pull up in front of a lavish hotel; the bellhops open the door Yuki-kun jumps out before a young man offers me his hand to assist me. I take the hand and gracefully climb down from the vehicle. Irie-kun steps down behind me. He then removes my hand from the bellhop's and pulls me towards the entrance.

"Irie-kun, what are you doing?" I ask feeling slightly confused.

"Mom and dad want me too. They think if I have a girl on my arm, it will make me look more mature. I acted reluctant, but I'm kind of glad. At least other guys will not have a chance to flirt with you if I'm always with you."

"As if they would flirt with me if given the chance, I'm not that attractive."

"Kotoko, how can you not realize that you look absolutely gorgeous in that dress? You look stunning."

I stare up stunned as we walk into the hotel. Immediately, bright lights start flashing around us. I squint briefly at reporters snapping pictures of the CEO of Pandai Toy Company and his family. They step closer taking more and more pictures, screaming out questions. The most popular one is aimed towards Irie-kun and I asking who I was.

Irie-kun stops. "She's a family friend and has accepted my invitation to support my father. She's not my girlfriend. My girlfriend is actually away visiting her family at the moment." He nods his head and pushes pass the crowd. We emerge out into a private banquet hall reserved for Mr. Irie's Christmas party. The reporters were not allowed inside. He releases my hand. "God, that's such a pain. I forgot about the reporters." I shook my head.

"Don't worry about it. You have fun greeting people, Yuki-kun and I'll go find our seats and grab a couple of drinks." He nods his heads and turns around to rejoin his parents.

"So? What did Oni-chan introduce you as? His girlfriend?" Yuki asks as he walks over.

I shake my head, "Still not ready to make public that I'm dating the son of a CEO." I hiss under my breath, nodding my head in greetings to people I meet eyes with. "It doesn't matter. It's something we both agreed on and if I start feeling uncomfortable about where we stand, that's always something we can talk about. Enough of this, let's go find some drinks."

Yuki-kun points across the room, "they have drinks being served by waiters or you can get something specific over there." He says before taking off in that direction. I follow his lead passing by other ladies and gentlemen dressed to the nine, their eyes on me. Feeling a little self-conscious by their stares, I almost sigh visibly when we reach the refreshment table. The bartender looks over and asks what we would like to drink, offering me a glass of champagne and other vintage wines. I shake my head.

"No thank you, I'm still underage. Can I get a glass of sparkling water with a lemon slice for me please and…" I turn to face Yuki-kun "What do you want to order to drink?" I ask.

He looks at the bartender. "Could I have the same thing?" The bartender nods his head and turns to prepare the drinks, handing them to us several minutes later.

"Thank you," I say opening my wallet. The bartender shakes his head, explaining that he's being paid by the drinks he sells after the event is over. I nod my head and place a small five dollar tip in the counter, I wish him a Merry Christmas before walking away.

"Why did you do that?" Yuki-kun asks as we walk around the room, killing time until dinner is served.

"Why did I do what? Tip the bartender?" He nods his head. "Because it's Christmas, the time for giving and he's here, offering his services for your dad's party instead of at home with his family. I know how his family, if he has one, might feel. It's lonely if not everyone's there." He nods his head, facing forward, a thoughtful look on his face

We circle the room several times, Yuki commenting on several people he recognizes and shares several gossip stories he's overheard in the past. During our fourth round, we spot Mrs. Irie sitting down at a table near the front of the room.

"Ah, there you two are. Naoki was a little worried when we found our table and didn't see you." She says with a smile as we approach. "I think he went off in the direction of the restrooms looking for you." She looks straight at me.

I laugh, "He's probably not looking for me at all, probably worried that I got Yuki-kun in trouble or something."

"Nice to know my brother isn't arrested somewhere." Irie-kun says behind me, I jump, spinning on my heel.

"Don't sneak up on people like that, Jerk." I huff, walking to sit next to Mrs. Irie. Irie-kun takes a seat next to mine, while Yuki claims the empty next to his brother.

Mr. Irie sits down on Mrs. Irie's other side. An older gentleman sits down next to him with a younger girl, abut my age. "Naoki, you remember Mr. Kimura and his daughter Sahoko? Kotoko, this is one of my company's partners, Kimura Ryo, and his granddaughter Sahoko. She's your age."

I smile and bow my head. "It's very nice to meet you. My name's Aihara Kotoko."

Mr. Kimura looks over me. "It's nice to meet you too. How do you know the Irie family?" He asks me.

I smile, "My father is good friends with Mr. Irie from high school. I use to often visit their house when I was little. Nowadays, I just see Irie-kun at school and when we're occasionally invited over for dinner."

"So you and Naoki-san are in the same school? How are your grades compared to his?" He stares, looking at me carefully.

"Grandfather!" Sahoko exclaims. "Asking about someone's school grades when you've never met them is rude."

I shake my head, chuckling a little, "Don't worry about it. I'm used to people asking how I compare against the genius over here, especially since we're in the same class. I believe I was five marks off from having the same score on our midterms a few weeks ago." I look toward Irie-kun. "Did I beat Watanabae-kun on the last three tests?" Irie-kun shakes his head. "No, he scored better on the Calculus test, but you definitely did better on the Biology and Chemistry tests. I think you were half a point behind me." I nod my head, turning back to Mr. Kimura, "I believe I'm second or third in the school. A friend and I are constantly battle for the second place position. Irie-kun here holds firmly to title of smartest student in the school."

"That's quite impressive. If I'm not mistaken, your school is quite competitive. Doesn't it have an escalator university? Not many high schools have that." I nod my head. "Congratulations, do you know what you want to study next year? If I'm correct, you and Naoki-san should be graduating soon."

"That's correct. I'll be attending our escalator university. I think I'm going to try and write the nursing exam this spring and start the nursing course in the fall."

Mr. Kimura looks at me with interest. "Nursing, that's an interesting path. Why nursing if you don't mind me asking."

I look down, "My mother passed away when I was little. Growing up, I wanted to become a doctor and help other heal. A couple months ago, I was injured and hospitalized for a couple of weeks. During that time, I witness the nurses helping and supporting the patients much more than the doctors were. Sure, the doctors are the ones that help the patient heal, but the nurses are around more often. I want to be able to bring a smile and hope to patients."

Irie-kun stares at me slightly stunned, I look over confused. He shakes his head and smiles faintly "I didn't know you'd figure out you're career path. When we last talked, you said you weren't sure yet."

"That was over a month ago."

"I guess."

Small talk continues around the table, as the waiters serve the courses for dinner. While we were eating dessert, Irie-kun slips a piece of paper into my hand and stands up. "I'm going to the washroom," He tells his mother before walking away. I quietly check the slip of paper and stand up at well. "Do you mind if I step out for a minute? I should probably call my dad and wish him a Merry Christmas." Mrs. Irie nods her head. I smile and walk away from the table and out the door.

The foyer outside is empty, a nice change from the crowd of reporters upon our entry. I walk down the hallway and out onto an empty patio. Checking the time on my phone, 11:45pm, I call my dad on the restaurant line. I wish him a Merry Christmas and we talk for a while about Mr. Irie's dinner party. When I hang up, I feel arms circling me.

"I wasn't sure if you could read my message with my mother and Mr. Kimura scrutinizing you all dinner."

"It's no big deal; I'm used to people asking me weird questions. What did you want to meet me out here for?"

He pulls me against him, hugging me under the night sky. "Merry Christmas, Kotoko. I love you." In the distance, I see fireworks bursting in the sky and a cheer rises up from the city. I smile and hug him back.

"Merry Christmas Irie-kun. I love you too." He pulls me back close, and cups my face in his hand. I lean against it, closing my eyes. Under the night sky bursting with fireworks, He pulls me tight against him, kissing me gently.

* * *

><p><strong>Merry Christmas Everybody! Hope you gave lots of gifts and received lots in return. Spent time with your family and shared a lot of holiday time. I had a great day, and I hope everybody did too. Following the Love in Tokyo adaptation, with the Christmas party, since they weren't in University, I made it so that Kotoko went to the dinner and I thought I should introduce Sahoko. Since she'll be playing a big role later on. Well I'm off to spend to last few hours of Christmas with my family and you guys should too. Ciao<strong>


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Graduation

_June 2005_

"I want to congratulate all of our students in their endeavors during their high school career. I will hand now call you up one by one to receive your diploma." The Principal turns as he finishes his speech and reads the first name on the scroll of paper, bound closed by a thick red ribbon.

"Aihara Kotoko" I stand up as parents and students clap their hands for me. I step onto the dais shake hands with the principal and with Mr. Takashima. "Ms. Aihara has done something no student has achieved before. If she doesn't mind, I would like her to say a few words about her experience." He hands me the mic. I smile and turn to face the crowd.

"I'm not much for being a public speaker but I will try my best." The crowd chuckles a little. "I started high school as a Class F student. Now, I'm graduating in second overall in the school. It hasn't been an easy road but I would like to tell everyone, that what I've learnt from pushing myself to be a better student, is that hard work will eventually surpass talent. For all of us students who were looking at the marks for our final exam, you'll know what I mean. Thank you." I bow my head and walk off the stage taking my seat again while the crowd of students and parents applause me furiously.

The principal continues to run through the names, soon Satomi's, Kin-c and Jinko's names are called and they stand up to receive their diplomas. As he reaches J, I sit back stunned. Why didn't Kin-chan stand up? The principal had called his name twice and Kin-chan was a no show. I shake my head, resolving to find him later.

Finally, when the last student has been called, the principal calls up our class valedictorian. Irie-kun stands up and moves up to the stage to receive his diploma and turns to the podium.

"I want to congratulate the class of 2005 for successfully completing these past four years of high school. The biggest thing I've learnt this year is that no matter how smart a person can be, if you put your heart, mind, and soul into even your smallest acts. This is the secret of success. This quote by Swami Sivananda best express the person who went from the bottom of the school to the top in four years. Over the past year, I've gotten to know Aihara Kotoko, who moved from class F to class A at the beginning of the year, and finishes the year by obtaining a perfect score on the final exams. For the first time, I've had to share the Top score spot with another person. This is because she has put her very being into her work. She is an inspiration to teachers, and future students to come. Now if she wasn't so annoying, we might have had something to talk and chat about all year." He smiles and the crowd breaks into laughter.

I stand up, cupping my mouth, I call him a jerk into the hall and the crowd laughs some more.

"Don't' worry, she calls me that often. I've learnt a lot from her and I hope we all take something from high school as we continue our path into the world. Thank you." Irie-kun bows and the students stand up as one unit. Cheers of joy burst through the room and the air is sudden full of caps and tassels.

Laughing, I hook arms with Satomi and Jinko as we burst into the sunlight. "We did it! I can't believe we're finally done with high school." They both cheer. I hug them both.

"Oh My God, I am so happy, and we're all going to the same university too!" I laugh.

"It's going to be great, we can sign up for the same classes and pick and choose which ones we want...Kotoko, what's the matter?" Satomi asks.

"I guess I forgot to tell you guys. I'm applying for the nursing program. I have the exam in a couple of weeks." I wince slightly at their stunned expressions. "Sorry." I cringe.

"Kotoko-chan!" I spin on my heel, spotting Mrs. Irie waving her arm vigorously.

I walk over, Satomi and Jinko trailing behind me. "Hi Mrs. Irie, are you here for Irie-kun?" I ask. Satomi and Jinko both say their hellos and Mrs. Irie hugs them both in return, congratulating us on graduating.

"You dad and my husband were here to see both you and Naoki graduate." Mrs. Irie says. "They just left to head back to work-" Suddenly, Satomi screams.

"Ah! Look over there!" She screams pointing across the courtyard. We all look over to see two students in our graduating class kissing. Mrs. Irie screams in delight, pulling out her camera and snapping quick pictures.

"Oh, that's what Graduation Day should be like." She sighs happily. "It's so wonderful to have a romance in your life."

Jinko turns around looking for other and freezes. "Look! Over there too." She points in the other direction. A boy was stammering his confession as he yanks off his second button, handing it to a blushing girl.

I sigh dreamily, "The famous second button." No way was Irie-kun going to do that in public.

Mrs. Irie continues to snap photos. "This brings back memories from when I was young…" She stops, spinning slowly to look at me. "Kotoko, this is your chance! You can ask Naoki for his second button! He'll give it to you as proof of his love for you." I look at her in disbelief.

"Irie-kun…would never give me his second button, Mrs. Irie…he doesn't like me that way. He barely tolerates me as it is." I state slowly.

"He gave his valedictorian speech about you didn't he? He must like you in order to include you in that."

I shake my head. "Actually…the principal made him say it. He called us both into his office about a month ago asking Irie-kun to say a few words about my class switch as an inspiration to future classes. Trust me; it wasn't because he wanted too." I explain wincing at the memory. Irie-kun was not happy at all. While he acted that it was because he didn't want to talk about me, it was mostly because, he didn't want to put me in the spotlight again. I do have the best boyfriend in the world.

"Speak of the devil," states Satomi. I follow her gaze. "It seems pretty hectic over there."

Irie-kun and Watanabae-kun were walking out from the auditorium swarmed by girls in our class and younger. His face was the epitome to annoyance. Girls holding cameras were begging for his second button, for pictures, all the while Irie-kun ignores them, pushing past towards us.

"Congratulation, Watanabae-kun, I hear you made it into your top choice." I smile as he approaches.

"Congratulation to you as well, Kotoko, I still can't believe to beat me overall." I laugh.

"I still can't believe I tied with the genius over there. What's up with all the girls anyways? Why swarm him now?"

He looks back over his shoulder. "He'll come around. That's beside the point; could I talk to you privately?" He pulls me away from the group. Alone, he releases my arm, staring at me contemplatively. "How did you do it?" He asks finally.

"How did I do what?" I look up at him confused.

"Win over Irie. How did you get him to be your boyfriend?" I look up in shock. "Don't worry he told me himself. He had to because he wanted to give you this." He takes my hand and drops something inside. I look at the small object. A blue jacket button twinkles back up at me.

I laugh. "I was wondering if he was going to give it to me or not. I wonder if the girls have noticed that his second button is already gone." I look up at Watanabae-kun. "Thank you for giving this to me."

He shrugs, "To be honest, I was a little stunned. You guys argue so much in class I didn't even consider the idea that you he liked you. Much less that you two are already dating." I blush.

"Well…" I trail off looking over at Irie-kun. He was look at us, smiling slightly when he makes eye contact with me.

"Take care of each other. I wish you luck in university." Watanabae-kun gives me a hug. I return it, wishing him good luck next year. We break apart and I wave goodbye before rejoining my friends, slipping Irie-kun's button into my pocket.

"Kotoko-chan, what was that about?" Mrs. Irie asks worriedly.

"Hmm? Oh, Watanabae-kun? He just wanted to wish me good luck next year." Mrs. Irie didn't look convinced but she let it slide.

"Alright, Kotoko-chan, make your move for Naoki's button." I shake my head.

"Watanabae-kun said Irie-kun has already given his button away." All three of them scream in shock.

"What's wrong, mom? Irie-kun says as he approaches.

"How could you do that?" Mrs. Irie turns furiously to her son.

He stares back in confusion. "Do what exactly?" He asks.

"Give your second button away!" She wails "Why didn't you give it to Kotoko-chan? You know I want her to be part of our family." She cries. Irie-kun looks over at me and I shrug my shoulders.

"I told you, Mrs. Irie, Irie-kun doesn't like me that way at all. At best I might call us mutually understanding classmates." I stop, spinning around to look at the Jinko and Satomi. "Speaking of classmates, why wasn't Kin-chan here? Is he sick?" They shake their heads.

"Kin-chan…didn't pass the university entrance exam." Satomi says softly.

"Are you serious?" I ask them, my mouth dropping open. "How come you guys didn't tell me? We found out our finals marks weeks ago."

"You know how much Kin-chan loves you, Kotoko; he doesn't want to seem like a failure especially since you were in class A now. You're a different level and Kin-chan couldn't handle it." Jinko explains.

I look around at my friends, at Mrs. Irie's sadden expression. Finally, I turn my gaze onto Irie-kun, he takes one look at me and nods his head slightly. That's all I need. I smile my thanks and turn back to my friends. "I'm going to go find him." I spin on my heel, tucking my diploma into my bag and tear off out of the school.

Running down the streets, I head downtown looking for the café Kin-chan spends all him time in. Spotting it across the street, I am instantly drawn to a red biker's jacket hunched over by the window. I bang on the window, scaring the customers and the workers in the café. Blushing, I walk inside apologizing for my actions. I slide into the seat across from Kin-chan.

"Way to go, Kotoko, nice entrance." I blush again.

"It's not my fault. If you were at the ceremony like you should have been I wouldn't be here."

Kin-chan's face falls and he hunches back over, burying his head into his hands. "I couldn't be there, Kotoko. You wouldn't understand."

"I'm your friend, Kin-chan, that's what friends are for. Someone to talk to when you're in trouble and when you need a shoulder to lean on, they're there. Besides, I've known you practically my whole life. Seriously, what's wrong?"

He laughs uncomfortably, "How uncool is it that out of our group of friends, I'm the only one who didn't get into university? I mean, it's even an escalator system. The marks we need are way lower than any other school in the world, and yet I still managed to fail out. Now, you're all going to move on with your life. You already have, moving up into class A and making it into the nursing program. Satomi and Jinko are going to move up as well."

"Kin-chan, is that what you're worried about? That we're going to stop being your friends once we all separate?"

He looks at me sharply. "Isn't that what you did? Suddenly, you're always hanging around Irie Naoki and the other smart kids in class A. What happened to making time for your real friends?"

"I'm sorry, but when I first moved up, I didn't expect the rigorous system class A has. I was expecting it to be a little similar to class F. It took me months to adjust. Then I was always busy going to see Mr. Takashima because I sometimes had no idea what he was talking about. Class F is so far behind it isn't funny." I stand up and shuffle around to lean against Kin-chan shoulder. "I know I haven't been around this year, but that doesn't mean I don't cherish our friendship. Nobody in class A was my friend. It's always a competition. Even if we're far apart, we can work to stay in contact. Besides, now you have a chance to start your life in the real world before we're done school. You can become something I can't by the time I'm done school."

Kin-chan smiles, "It's hard to stay mad at you when you're so reasonable these days." He stands up. "Alright, Kotoko, I'll become something no one else can by the time you graduate from nursing school."

I look up at him and smile. "Good for you, Kin-chan."

* * *

><p><strong>Hey guys...I hope you all had a Happy New Year and a great holiday. For those that have another week off...you're really lucky. I am so sorry this is out so late. It has been haunting me and sitting open in my desktop for the past two weeks and I haven't had time to finish it due to a ton of school related projects finishing and needing to be finished, like now. Plus it was winter break so who really wanted to do homework? Yeah, that last week was a cram... Well here's the final chapter to the high school arc... we should be getting them into university next chapter...I think. I'm not planning on doing the end of the year party, mostly because the kiss that happens is more of a revenge kiss between Naoki and Kotoko and since they're already dating it seems kind of pointless. HOWEVER, let me know if you guys really want to see the party and I can try to work something out. In the mean time, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I'll write to you guys next time. Ciao.<strong>


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